Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Researchers studying the inverse Galois problem realized 25 of the 26 sporadic finite simple groups as Galois groups over $\mathbb{Q}$ during 1984-1989. We complete this program by proving that the last remaining sporadic group, the Mathieu group $M_{23}$, occurs as a Galois group over $\mathbb{Q}$. In fact, we produce an explicit degree $23$ polynomial with rational coefficients whose splitting field has Galois group $M_{23}$ over $\mathbb{Q}$. To accomplish this, we discover an unanticipated splitting of the Nielsen class associated to a non-rigid triple of conjugacy classes of $M_{23}$. We compute the Belyi maps associated with this Nielsen class to construct an explicit regular Galois extension of $\mathbb{Q}(t)$ with Galois group $M_{23}$. Essential for our computation is the numerical Belyi map algorithm developed and implemented by Costa, Klug, Musty, Schiavone, Sijsling, and Voight, inspired by ideas of Hejhal and Stark. As a bonus, one specialization of the regular extension yields an $M_{22}$-extension of $\mathbb{Q}$.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institution: California Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Algebra and Number Theory
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7202211762