An explicit candidate for the set of Steinitz classes of tame Galois extensions with fixed Galois group of odd order

Abstract: Given a finite group G and a number field k, a well-known conjecture asserts that the set R_t(k,G) of Steinitz classes of tame G-Galois extensions of k is a subgroup of the ideal class group of k. In this paper we investigate an explicit candidate for R_t(k,G), when G is of odd order. More precisely, we define a subgroup W(k,G) of the class group of k and we prove that R_t(k,G) is contained in W(k,G). We show that equality holds for all groups of odd order for which a description of R_t(k,G) is known so far. Furthermore, by refining techniques introduced in arXiv:0910.5080v1, we use the Shafarevich-Weil Theorem in cohomological class field theory, to construct some tame Galois extensions with given Steinitz class. In particular, this allows us to prove the equality R_t(k,G)=W(k,G) when G is a group of order dividing l^4, where l is an odd prime.