[Math] Capitulation in cyclotomic extensions

Question

Let $p$ be an irregular prime, which means that $p$ divides some Bernoulli number: $p \mid B_k$ (for some even $k\in[2,p-3]$). This implies that the class number of the field $K$ of $p$-th roots of unity is divisible by $p$. Let $L$ be the field of $p^2$-th roots of unity. What, if anything, is known about the capitulation of ideal classes in $L/K$ ( we say that an ideal class from $K$ capitulates in $L$ if an ideal generating this class becomes principal there)? It is possible to write down criteria in terms of units that are or are not norms from $L$, but this does not seem to help a lot. I am mainly interested in the question whether there is a connection between the index $k$ and the capitulation of the subgroup of order $p$ corresponding to $k$ via Herbrand-Ribet. I am pretty sure that classical algebraic number theorists did not do an awful lot in this direction but I am not familiar with any advances in Iwasawa theory: whether an ideal class capitulates in $L/K$ is encoded in the Hilbert class field, so the structure of the maximal abelian unramified $p$-extension of the cyclotomic Iwasawa extension of $K$ might contain relevant information. Does it?

Answer 1

Assume $p$ is an irregular prime for which Vandiver's conjecture holds, e.g. $p<12'000'000$. This conjecture asserts that $p$ does not divide the $+$-part of the class group.

Then there is no capitulation in the class group from the first layer of the cyclotomic $\mathbb{Z}_p^{\times}$-tower to any other in this tower. See Proposition 1.2.14 in Greenberg's book, which says that the capitulation kernel lies in the $+$-part. See also the discussion on page 102 where it is discussed what happens when Vandiver's conjecture does not hold.

Generally capitulations in Iwasawa theory are well studied. The capitulation is linked to the question of whether there are non-trivial finite sub-$\Lambda$-modules in the Iwasawa module $X$, here the projective limit of the $p$-primary parts of the class groups in the tower, or equivalently the Galois group mentioned in the question.