A classical approach to relative quadratic extensions

Abstract

We show that we can develop from scratch and using only classical language a theory of relative quadratic extensions of a given number field $K$ which is as explicit and easy as for the well-known case that $K$ is the field of rational numbers. As an application we prove a reciprocity law which expresses the number of solutions of a given quadratic equation modulo an integral ideal $\mathfrak{a}$ of $K$ in terms of $\mathfrak{a}$ modulo the discriminant of the equation. We study various $L$-functions associated to relative quadratic extensions. In particular, we define, for totally negative algebraic integers $\Delta$ of a totally real number field $K$ which are squares modulo~$4$, numbers $H(\Delta,K)$, which share important properties of classical Hurwitz class numbers. In an appendix we give a quick elementary proof of certain deeper properties of the Hilbert symbol on higher unit groups of dyadic local number fields.