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Unique factorization of nonzero fractional ideals into prime powers
Statement
Assume the Axiom of Choice. Let be a Dedekind domain. Every nonzero fractional ideal of has a unique factorization , where all but finitely many exponents are zero. If is an integral ideal, then every exponent is nonnegative.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A Dedekind domain and a nonzero fractional ideal .
The valuation is defined by the equality (Prime-ideal valuations on fractional ideals).
Only finitely many valuations of a fixed fractional ideal are nonzero, and valuations add under products (Prime-ideal valuations of a fractional ideal have finite support and add under products).
Localisation of modules preserves short exact sequences (Localisation of modules is exact).
Assuming Choice, a module is zero exactly when all maximal localisations vanish (Assuming the Axiom of Choice, local criteria for zero modules and for injective, surjective, and bijective maps).
Proof
By [L1], only finitely many integers are nonzero, so is a well-defined nonzero fractional ideal. Fix a nonzero prime ideal . If , choose ; then is a unit in , so . Hence only the -factor survives after localizing, and .
Let . Localizing the short exact sequence and using [L2], we get for every maximal ideal . Step 1.1 gives , so for all . Therefore [L3] gives , hence . The same argument with gives , so . This proves existence of the factorization.
If also , localising at a fixed nonzero prime gives . Uniqueness of powers in the DVR forces , so the factorization is unique.
If , then for every nonzero prime ideal , so the exponent in the DVR equality must be nonnegative. Hence integral ideals have only nonnegative exponents.
Depends on
Used by
- Every nonzero ideal in a Dedekind domain is generated by two elements Corollary
- For Dedekind ideals, divisibility reverses inclusion Corollary
- The ideal class group Definition
- A fractional ideal of the integers with positive and negative prime exponents Example
- A semilocal Dedekind domain is a PID Example
- Computing an inverse fractional ideal explicitly Example
- A Dedekind domain is a PID exactly when its class group is trivial Theorem
- The principal-divisor exact sequence for a Dedekind domain Theorem
Dependency tree · two levels
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Sources
- J. P. May, Notes on Dedekind Rings (standard reference, not scraped)
- J. S. Milne, A Primer of Commutative Algebra, §20 (standard reference, not scraped)
- Mircea Mustata, Introduction to Commutative Algebra, §8.5 (standard reference, not scraped)