Ramification in local fields

algebraic-number-theorynumber theory

Question: I know how to detect ramified or unramified fields in the case of number fields. But I have no feelings about how to do this for local fields. How should I find that $\mathbb{Q}_p(\sqrt[3]{2})=\mathbb{Q}_p[x]/(x^3-2)$ is ramified or unramified? I can answer that $\mathbb{Q}_p(\sqrt[3]{2})=\mathbb{Q}_p[x]/(x^3-2)$ is (totally) ramified, because $x^3-2$ is Eisenstein at $2$ (This is not correct. See the comments). But then how should I realize that $\mathbb{Q}_p(\sqrt[3]{2}, \zeta_3)=\mathbb{Q}_p[x]/(x^3-2, x^2+x+1)$ is ramified or unramified? How should I find that $\mathbb{Q}_p[x]/(x^5-x-2)$ is ramified or unramified? How can I find the uniformizer in the local field $\mathbb{Q}_p[x]/P(x)$, where $P(x)$ is an irreducible monic polynomial, and how can I find the ramification index?

My attempt: This is not actually an attempt. I just want to say what I know in the case of number fields, and I have some questions and solutions (probably unsuccessful solutions) based on it. In the case of number fields I used the discriminant. Also Dedekind-Kronecker theorem was very helpful to find the ramification indices, $e_i$'s, and reside degrees $f_i$'s for almost all primes. Do we have a version of Dedekind-Kronecker theorem for local fields?

Best Answer

You said you know about using the discriminant of a $\mathbf Z$-basis of the integers of a number field to detect ramification. You can do the same thing in a local field: if $K$ is a finite extension of $\mathbf Q_p$ then the discriminants of all $\mathbf Z_p$-bases of $\mathcal O_K$ are equal to multiplication by the square of a unit in $\mathbf Z_p$, and $K/\mathbf Q_p$ is ramified if and only if the discriminant of a $\mathbf Z_p$-basis of $\mathcal O_K$ is divisible by $p$ (equivalently, the discriminant is not a unit in $\mathbf Z_p$).