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On Eisenstein reciprocity

Article in Archiv der Mathematik · April 2015

DOI: 10.1007/s00013-015-0745-6

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 On Eisenstein reciprocity
Peter Schmid

Abstract. Let p, q, r be distinct rational primes. It is shown that the pth power residue
symbol (q/r)p = 1 over the pth cyclotomic field provided p is odd. This will be used for
an elementary approach to the classical Eisenstein reciprocity law. We also examine when
q is a pth power in F∗r = (Z/rZ)∗ .

Mathematics Subject Classification. 11A15, 11A41.

Keywords. Eisenstein, power residues, rational reciprocity.

1. Introduction. The study of reciprocity laws in algebraic number theory has a long
history, beginning with quadratic reciprocity (Euler, Gauss) and culminating in class
field theory (Artin reciprocity). Eisenstein reciprocity may be seen as a crucial step in
this development. There are also various explicit (rational) statements on higher power
residues (cubic, quartic, octic residues etc.), due to Scholz, Lehmer, Burde and others.
For a survey on all these results we refer to Ireland–Rosen [4] and Lemmermeyer [5].
Let p, q, r be pairwise distinct rational primes. Suppose q is a pth power in F∗r =
(Z/rZ)∗ . We are looking for conditions forcing that then r is a pth power in F∗q likewise.
For p = 2 the answer is easy, by quadratic reciprocity: Just one of q, r has to be
congruent to 1 (mod 22 ). But this does not carry over to the odd case:

Theorem 1. Let p ̸= q be rational primes, p odd. Given any integer n ≥ 1 there exist
infinitely many primes r ≡ 1 (mod pn ) such that r is a pth power in F∗q but q is not a
pth power in F∗r .

It follows from the Eisenstein [2] reciprocity law that (q/r)p = (r/q)p when p is odd.
Here (·/·)p denotes the pth power residue symbol over the pth cyclotomic field K = Q(ζp )
(Legendre, Jacobi). The reader is referred to Cassels–Fröhlich [1] (Exercises) for basic
properties of this symbol, as well as for those of the norm residue symbol (Hilbert,
Hasse). So the pth power residue symbol does not give the relevant information on our
problem. Indeed the following holds.

Theorem 2. Let p be an odd prime. If q and r are relatively prime integers not divisible
by p, then (q/r)p = 1 = (r/q)p .

1
 It turns out that this (elementary) result may be used for a nice approach to the
Eisenstein reciprocity law. (Nowadays the standard proof is based on Stickelberger
factorization of Gauss sums; cf. [4, Theorem 14.1] and [5, Theorem 11.9].) We shall
apply, in addition to Theorem 2, only some known properties of the norm residue symbol,
and Fermat’s Little Theorem. We mention that Wieferich’s [6] classical theorem on the
first case of Fermat’s Last Theorem can be easily derived from Eisenstein reciprocity
[4, 5]. It seems to be still wide open whether there exist infinitely many odd primes p
satisfying 2p−1 ≡ 1 (mod p2 ).

2. Some auxiliary results. Fix a rational prime p, and let K = Q(ζp ) be the pth
cyclotomic field over the rationals. Let oK = Z[ζp ] be the ring of integers of K, and let
p = (1 − ζp ) be its unique prime ideal above p. Recall that p is totally ramified in K,
that is, (p) = poK = pp−1 .

Lemma 1. Suppose α, β in K ∗ are relatively prime to each other and to p, and are
positive in the case p = 2. Then
( ) ( )−1 ( )
α/β p
· β/α p
= α, β p

equals the norm residue symbol over the completion Kp of K at p.

This is immediate from the general power reciprocity law [1, Exercise 2.10]. We let
(i)
Up denote the group of ith higher principal units in Kp (being ≡ 1 (mod pi )).

(i) (j)
Lemma 2. Let p be odd, and let α ∈ Up and β ∈ Up for positive integers i, j. If
( )
i + j ≥ p + 1, then α, β p = 1.
This is easily verified; the corresponding statement can be found in [1, Exercise
2.13].

Lemma 3. Let p, q, r be distinct rational primes, and let r be a prime ideal of K = Q(ζp )
above r. Let R = Q if r ̸≡ 1 (mod p), and let otherwise R be the unique subfield of Q(ζr )
with absolute degree [R : Q] = p. The following are equivalent:
(i) q is a pth power in F∗r .
(ii) (q/r)p = 1.
(iii) q splits completely in R.
√
(iv) r splits completely in K( p q).
Proof. (i)⇒(ii): By asssumption there is x ∈ Z such that xp − q is divisible by r. This
x is a solution of the congruence xp ≡ q (mod r). Hence (q/r)p = 1 by [1, Exercise 1.5].

2
 (ii)⇒ (i): If r ̸≡ 1 (mod p), then q (and every integer not divisible by p) is a pth
power in F∗r . Thus we may assume that r ≡ 1 (mod p). Then r splits completely in K,
so that oK /r ∼= Fr . Apply [1, Exercise 1.5] once again.
( )
It is known that the Frobenius automorphism q, Q(ζr )|Q sends ζr to ζrq , so has
order equal to that of q in F∗r ∼
= Gal(Q(ζr )|Q). This shows that (i) and (iii) are equiva-
lent.
Finally, (ii) and (iv) are equivalent, because (ii) holds by definition if and only if
( √ )
the Frobenius r, K( p q)|K is trivial. 
√
Of course K = Q, p = 2Z and Kp = Q2 in the case p = 2. Then R = Q( r) if
√
r ≡ 1 (mod 4) and R = Q( −r) otherwise, and equivalence of (ii) and (iii) gives one of
the 196 proofs for the quadratic reciprocity law which are mentioned in [5] (where 6 are
√
due to Gauss). Recall that (−1/q)2 = (−1)(q−1)/2 and that q splits in Q( ±r) if and
only if (±r/q)2 = 1.

3. Proof of Theorem 1. As before let K = Q(ζp ) (with p odd). Note that the
√
Kummer extension K( p q) is not abelian over the rationals. By Chebotarev’s density
theorem there exist infinitely many primes r which split completely in Q(ζqpn ) but not
√
in K( p q). We have r ≡ 1 (mod pn ) as r is totally split in Q(ζpn ), and r is a pth power
in F∗q by part (iii) of Lemma 3 since it splits completely in Q(ζq ). Equivalence of (i)
and (iv) in this lemma tells us that q is not a pth power in F∗r . 

4. Proof of Theorem 2. Since the power residue symbol is multiplicative in both

arguments, and since −1 = (−1)p is a pth power (as p is odd), we may assume without
( )
loss that q and r are (positive) primes. By symmetry it suffices to prove that q/r p = 1.
Fix a prime ideal r of K = Q(ζp ) above r.
Suppose first that r ̸≡ 1 (mod p). Then, as in the proof of Lemma 3, q is a pth
power in F∗r and (q/r)p = 1. Since the principal ideal (r) of oK is a product of (distinct)
Galois conjugates of p, the result follows in this case. So let r ≡ 1 (mod p). Then r
∏
splits completely in K, (r) = σ rσ where σ varies over Gal(K|Q). Consequently
∏ ∏
(q/r)p = (q/rσ )p = (q/r)σp
σ σ

is the norm in K|Q of the pth root of unity (q/r)p . This norm is 1 as p is odd. 

5. Eisenstein reciprocity. Let p be an odd prime in what follows. Following Lem-

mermeyer [5] an element κ ∈ oK = Z[ζp ] is called semi-primary if it is not a unit but

3
 relatively prime to p and satisfies a congruence κ ≡ q (mod p2 ) for some q ∈ Z. Here as
before p = (1 − ζp ) is the prime ideal of oK above p.

Theorem (Eisenstein). Let κ be semi-primary, as above, and relatively prime to the

integer r ∈ Z which likewise should be prime to p. Then
( ) ( )
κ/r p = r/κ p .
( ) (2)
Proof. By Lemma 1 we just have to verify that κ, r p = 1. By hypothesis κ/q ∈ Up
for some q ∈ Z not divisible by p. By Fermat’s Little Theorem rp−1 ≡ 1 (mod p). Using
(p−1)
that (p) = pp−1 this shows that rp−1 ∈ Up . Consequently
( )p−1 ( )
κ/q, r p = κ/q, rp−1 p = 1
( )
in view of Lemma 2. Now κ/q, r p is a pth root of unity (and p − 1 is prime to p). We
( ) ( ) ( )
conclude that κ/q, r p = 1 and so κ, r p = q, r p . By Theorem 2 and Lemma 1 we
( )
have q, r p = 1. Hence the result. 

We mention that Hasse’s [3] generalization of the Eisenstein reciprocity law may
be treated in a similar manner.

References

[1] J.W.S. Cassels and A. Fröhlich, Algebraic Number Theory, Academic Press,
New York (1967).
[2] G. Eisenstein, Über ein einfaches Mittel zur Auffindung der höheren Reciproci-
tätsgesetze und der mit ihnen zu verbindenden Ergänzungssätze, J. Reine Angew.
Math. 39 (1850), 351-364.
[3] H. Hasse, Das Eisensteinsche Reziprozitätsgesetz der n-ten Potenzreste, Math.
Ann. 97 (1927), 599-623.
[4] K. Ireland and M. Rosen, A Classical Introduction to Modern Number Theory,
Springer, New York (1990).
[5] F. Lemmermeyer, Reciprocity Laws. From Euler to Eisenstein, Springer, New
York (2000).
[6] A. Wieferich, Zum letzten Fermatschen Theorem, J. Reine Angew. Math. 136
(1909), 293-302.

Peter Schmid
Mathematisches Institut, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10
72076 Tübingen, Germany
e-mail: peter.schmid@uni-tuebingen.de

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