Friday 31 July 2015

abstract algebra - If $F(alpha)=F(beta)$, must $alpha$ and $beta$ have the same minimal polynomial?





Let's consider a field $F$ and $\alpha,\beta\in\overline{F}-F$ (where $\overline{F}$ is an algebraic closure). If $F(\alpha)=F(\beta)$, is it true that $\alpha$, $\beta$ have the same minimal polynomial over $F$?




For reference, I explain my way. (From here forward, all field isomorphisms are the identity on $F$.)



There exist polynomials $f,g\in F[x]$ such that $f(\beta)=\alpha$, $g(\alpha)=\beta$. Let $p$ and $q$ be the minimal polynomials of $\alpha$ and $\beta$ over $F$. There are field isomorphisms
$$\sigma:F[x]/(p)\to F(\alpha),\qquad \tau:F[x]/(q)\to F(\beta)$$
(these two isomorphisms are constructed in the proof of the fundamental theorem of field theory), and the trivial isomorphism $i:F(\alpha)\to F(\beta)$ (I hope that there is isomorphism $j$ with $j(\alpha)=\beta$, but I can't prove it. How do you think about this?) Then
$$\rho:=(\tau^{-1}\circ i\circ\sigma)$$
is also an isomorphism with

$$\rho(x+(p))=f(x)+(q),\qquad \rho^{-1}(x+(q))=g(x)+(p).$$
From this, I got $q\mid f\circ p$ but not $q\mid p$. Is this way right? If it is, please proceed this way.


Answer



Let $a$ and $b$ be any two distinct elements of $F$. Then we have $F(a)=F(b)=F$ but the minimal polynomial of $a$ over $F$ is $x-a$, whereas the minimal polynomial for $b$ over $F$ is $x-b$, which are different.



This is just a trivial example of the general behavior. Let $F$ be any infinite field, and let $a$ be anything that's algebraic over $F$ (regardless of whether it's an element of $F$ or not). Then there are infinitely many $b$'s that are algebraic over $F$ such that $F(a)=F(b)$ — consider $b=a+c$ as $c$ ranges over all elements of $F$ — but only finitely many roots of the minimal polynomial of $a$ (since a polynomial of degree $n$ over a field has at most $n$ distinct roots). Thus, all but finitely many of the $b$'s such that $F(a)=F(b)$ do not share a minimal polynomial with $a$.



If you really want a concrete example, observe that $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{2})=\mathbb{Q}(1+\sqrt{2})$ but
$$\text{min poly of }\sqrt{2} = x^2-2,\qquad \text{min poly of }1+\sqrt{2}=x^2-2x-1$$


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