[Math] Finding a Galois extension of $\Bbb Q$ of degree $3$

abstract-algebraextension-fieldfield-theorygalois-theory

I want to find a Galois extension $K/\mathbb{Q}$ such that $[K:\mathbb{Q}]=3$. I thought about this for a while, but haven't been able to come up with one yet.

What I tried so far: (i) Taking a separable polynomial $f\in\mathbb{Q}[x]$ of degree three and considering its splitting field. (ii) Looking at the splitting fields of primitive roots of unity.

The second one doesn't work because the splitting field over such a root has as degree a value in the range of Euler's totient function, and this doesn't contain three.

The first approach also didn't work. I tried polynomials of the form $(x-\sqrt{p})(x-\sqrt{q})(x-\sqrt{r})$ for primes, but those have degree $8$. I then tried 'third roots' $\alpha$, but the minimal polynomials of those have complex as well as real roots, so the simple extensions $K(\alpha)$ aren't normal unless they're trivial.

Could anyone please give me a hint on what else to try.

Best Answer

Consider the cyclotomic polynomial $\Phi_7(x) = x^6+x^5+\ldots + x + 1$ which is irreducible and generates an extension of $\Bbb Q$ of degree $6$ which is abelian (i.e. it is Galois with abelian Galois group). Then if $\zeta_7$ is a primitive $7^{th}$ root of $1$, $F=\Bbb Q(\zeta_7)$ is the extension. The element $\zeta_7+\zeta_7^{-1}$ is fixed by complex conjugation (an element of order $2$) and no other automorphism (you can check directly by noting $\zeta_7\mapsto \zeta_7^{k}, 1\le k\le 6$ are the automorphisms of $F$ and that any other automorphism besides $k=6$ gives a different element.

But then $K= \Bbb Q(\zeta_7+\zeta_7^{-1})\subseteq F$ is an extension of degree $3$, because that is the index of the fixing Galois group generated by complex conjugation. Hence $K/\Bbb Q$ is the desired extension. You can even describe it explicitly as $K=\Bbb Q\left((\cos\left({2\pi\over 7}\right)\right)$.

Working out the details you can see it is generated by the polynomial

$$p(x) = x^3+x^2-2x-1.$$

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