Prove factor of $x^3-2$ is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{2})$

extension-fieldfield-theoryirreducible-polynomials

By Eisenstein, $x^3-2$ is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$. Consider $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha)$, where $\alpha= \sqrt[3]2$. Over $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha)$, we have that $x^3-2 = (x-\alpha)h(x)$ for some $h\in \mathbb{Q}(\alpha)[x]$ of degree 2. How can I show that this $h$ is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha)$? Since the only possible factors of $h$ are linear, I think it suffices to show that $h$ has no roots in $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha)$:

Suppose that $h(\beta)=0$ with $\beta\in\mathbb{Q}(\alpha)$. Then $[\mathbb{Q}(\alpha):\mathbb{Q}]=3=[\mathbb{Q}(\alpha):\mathbb{Q}(\beta)][\mathbb{Q}(\beta):\mathbb{Q}]$. We know that $\beta\notin\mathbb{Q}$ (otherwise $x^3-2$ would have been reducible over $\mathbb{Q}$), so $[\mathbb{Q}(\alpha):\mathbb{Q}(\beta)]=3$. How do I get a contradiction from this?

Thanks.

Best Answer

The function $f(x) = x^3-2$ has only one real-valued zero, namely $\sqrt[3]{2}$. (It has only one, since $f'(x) = 3x^2 > 0$). As a polynomial of degree $3$ it has two more zeros, which have to be in $\mathbb{C} \setminus \mathbb{R}$.

We can write \begin{align} f(x) = (x- \sqrt[3]{2})\cdot h(x) \end{align} where $h$ is a polynomial of degree $2$. Due to that, the function $h(x)$ is irreducible (over $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{2})$) if it has no zeros in $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{2})$. As mentioned, the two other zeros are in $\mathbb{C} \setminus \mathbb{R}$. But $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{2}) \subset \mathbb{R}$. Hence, the two other zeros are not contained in the field extension $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{2})$. As a result $h(x)$ has to be irreducible.

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