Algebraic Number Theory – Norm and Square of the Ideal (2,1+?-5) in the Ring of Integers

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Let $I=(2,1+\sqrt{-5})$ be an ideal of the ring of integers of $\mathbb Q(\sqrt{-5})$. What is its norm $N(I)$? And is $I^2$ principal?

My notes say:

$1$, $\sqrt{-5}$ is a $\mathbb Z$-basis for $\mathcal O_K=\mathbb Z[\sqrt{-5}]$, and especially $1$, $1+\sqrt{-5}$, hence N$(I)=2$. Also, $I^2=(4,2(1+\sqrt{-5}),2(-2+\sqrt{-5}))\subseteq(2)$ and $N(I^2)=N(I)^2=4=N((2))$. So $I^2=(2)$ is principal.

Well, now I am trying to figure out why the ideal $I$ has norm $2$. We know that $N(2)=4$ and $N(1+\sqrt{-5})=6$. So $N(I)$ divides $4$ and $6$, i.e. it is $1$ or $2$. It cannot be $1$, because $I$ is a proper ideal. So it is $2$. But how is this related to the $\mathbb Z$-basis of $\mathcal O_K$?

And I am really clueless as to how I can compute $I^2$. I understand the norm argument, but I just don't know how to compute $I^2$.

Best Answer

Re your first question....

By choosing a $\mathbb{Z}$-basis $\{ 1, 1 + \sqrt{-5} \}$ for $\mathcal{O}_K$, we can write algebraic integers as coordinate "vectors".

The generators of the ideal $I$ are, relative to this basis, $(2,0)$ and $(0, 1)$. This turns out to be a $\mathbb{Z}$-basis for $I$, although you might want to double check by throwing in all four elements of $\{ 2, 1 + \sqrt{-5} \} \cdot \{ 1, \sqrt{-5} \}$ into a matrix and doing (integer) row reduction to simplify. (using all four of these elements ensures that their span is closed under multiplication by elements of $\mathcal{O}_K$).

One definition of the norm of an ideal is that it is the size of the quotient ring $\mathcal{O}_K / I$. Knowing that the basis for $I$ (relative to the basis for $\mathcal{O}_K$) has coordinate matrix

$$ \left( \begin{matrix}2 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 \end{matrix} \right)$$

makes it easy to see that the quotient group has two elements.

Actually, when we do things this way, we can obtain the norm of $I$ as the determinant of its basis matrix.