Tame Galois module structure revisited

Abstract

A number field $K$ is Hilbert-Speiser if all of its tame abelian extensions $L/K$ admit NIB (normal integral basis). It is known that $\mathbb{Q}$ is the only such field, but when we restrict $\text{Gal}(L/K)$ to be a given group $G$, the classification of $G$-Hilbert-Speiser fields is far from complete. In this paper, we present new results on so-called $G$-Leopoldt fields. In their definition, NIB is replaced by ``weak NIB'' (defined below). Most of our results are negative, in the sense that they strongly limit the class of $G$-Leopoldt fields for some particular groups $G$, sometimes even leading to an exhaustive list of such fields or at least to a finiteness result. In particular we are able to correct a small oversight in a recent article by Ichimura concerning Hilbert-Speiser fields.