Unramified Composition for Every Extension – Algebraic Number Theory

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Let $K$ be a number field and $S$ be a finite set of primes. Is it possible to construct a finite extension $M$ of $K$ such that $LM/M$ is unramified at (the primes above) $S$ for all degree $n$ extensions $L$ of $K$?

I think I can create an $M$ that works for all $L$ that are tamely ramified. Abhyankar's lemma says that (for local fields) if $L/K$ is tamely ramified and $e(L/K)$ divides $e(M/K)$, then $LM/M$ is unramified. So we can just take $M$ as the composition of totally ramified extensions at each prime in $S$ of degree $n!$, so that $e(L/K)$ always divides $e(M/K)=n!$. But I don't know if there is another approach that works in general.

Best Answer

The Abhyankar construction can be generalized naturally as follows: For each $p\in S$, take the (finite) set of Galois extensions $F_p/K_p$ occurring as completions of the Galois closure of a degree-$n$ extension of $K$. Then for each of the finitely many local extensions obtained in this way, pick one representative $F/K$ of a Galois extension of $K$ with this given local behavior. If $M$ is defined as the compositum of all these $F$, then by definition the completions at primes extending $p$ of any degree-$n$ extension $L/K$ embed into $M_p$ ($p\in S$), so $LM/M$ is even totally split at all primes extending $p$.

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