Is the splitting field of $x^3+2x^2-x-3$ a totally ramified extension of $\mathbb Q_5$

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Consider the polynomial $f(x)=x^3+2x^2-x-3 \in \mathbb Q_5[x]$.

Is the field $K:=\mathbb Q_5[x]/(f(x))$ totally ramified ?

Through Newton polygon argument, I see $f$ is irreducible in $\mathbb Q_5$. (Is there other way to check irreducibility of this polynomial ?)

Therefore $K=\mathbb Q_5(\theta)$ for some root $\theta$ of $f(x)$.

We compute the value groups $G_1$ and $G_2$ of $\mathbb Q_5$ and $\mathbb Q_5(\theta)$ respectively.
\begin{align}
&G_1=\{5^m~:~m \in \mathbb Z\} \\
&G_2=\{5^{\frac{m}{3}}:~m \in \mathbb Z\},~\text{since degree of extension is 3}
\end{align}

Therefore the index $[G_2:G_1]=[5^{\mathbb Z}:5^{3 \mathbb Z}]=3$, which would be the ramification index $e=3$. Therefore totally ramified extension.

Am I doing correct or missing something ?

Best Answer

Is there other way to check irreducibility of this polynomial?

Yes: it is irreducible mod $5$ (since it has no root mod $5$ and is cubic), so it is irreducible over $\mathbf Q_5$. Because this polynomial mod $5$ is irreducible, its splitting field over $\mathbf Q_5$ is unramified of degree $3$.

The reasoning (that you don't provide) behind your calculation of $G_2 = |K^\times|_5$ is incorrect: just because the formula for the $5$-adic absolute value on $K$ involves taking a cube root, that doesn't make $|K^\times|_5 = 5^{(1/3)\mathbf Z}$: norms from $K$ down to $\mathbf Q_5$ could all have (and in fact do have) $5$-adic valuation divisible by $3$.

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