[Math] Find the Galois group of the polynomial $x^{4} + x – 1$ over the finite field $\mathbb{F}_{3}$

abstract-algebrafield-theorygalois-theorysplitting-field

Find the Galois group of the polynomial $x^{4} + x – 1$ over the finite field $\mathbb{F}_{3}$.

I'm particurly struggling with what would be the approach to finding the splitting field of this polynomial over $\mathbb{F}_{3}$.

Best Answer

Your first question should be: is this polynomial irreducible in $\Bbb F_3[x]$?

It's clear it has no root in $\Bbb F_3$, but this is not enough, we must check for possible quadratic factors. So, suppose (by way of contradiction) we had:

$x^4 + x - 1 = (x^2 + ax + b)(x^2 + cx + d)$ with $a,b,c,d \in \Bbb F_3$.

Then $a + c = 0$ (since our polynomial has no cubic term), and $bd = -1$. The latter equation implies either $b = 1, d = 2$, or $b = 2, d = 1$.

We also have $b + d - a^2 = 0$, and $a(d - b) = 1$. If $d = 2, b = 1$, then $a(d - b) = 1$ implies that $a = 1$ in which case $b + d - a^2 = 1 + 2 - 1 = 2 \neq 0$.

On the other hand, if $b = 2, d= 1$, then $a(d - b) = 1$ implies that $a = 2$, and thus $b + d - a^2 = 2 + 1 - 1 = 2\neq 0$. Either way, we see we can have no quadratic factors, and our polynomial is indeed irreducible.

Hence $\Bbb F_3(u)$ is a field of dimension $4$ over $\Bbb F_3$ (as a vector space), for any root $u$ of $x^4 + x - 1$. Now $\Bbb F_3$ is a perfect field, so this is a Galois extension of $\Bbb F_3$. Thus we know that: $|\text{Gal}(\Bbb F_3(u)/\Bbb F_3)| = \dim_{\Bbb F_3}(\Bbb F_3(u)) = 4$.

Furthermore, it is not hard to see that:

$\sigma: u \mapsto u^3 \in \text{Gal}(\Bbb F_3(u)/\Bbb F_3)$.

Since $\sigma^2 \neq \text{id}_{\Bbb F_3(u)}$, we see this automorphism is of order $4$ and the Galois group is cyclic.

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