Global Units modulo Circular Units : descent without Iwasawa's Main Conjecture

Abstract

Iwasawa's classical asymptotical formula relates the orders of the $p$-parts $X_n$ of the ideal class groups along a $\ZM_p$-extension $F_{\infty }/F$ of a number field $F$, to Iwasawa structural invariants $\la$ and $\mu$ attached to the inverse limit $X_\infty=\limpro X_n$. It relies on "good" descent properties satisfied by $X_n$. If $F$ is abelian and $F_{\infty }$ is cyclotomic it is known that the $p$-parts of the orders of the global units modulo circular units $U_n/C_n$ are asymptotically equivalent to the $p$-parts of the ideal class numbers. This suggests that these quotients $U_n/C_n$, so to speak unit class groups, satisfy also good descent properties. We show this directly, i.e. without using Iwasawa's Main Conjecture.

18 pages. Enlarged fonts, corrected a few typos. Accepted for publication in Canadian Journal of Mathematic