Automorphism of $\mathbb{C}$ over a subfield $K$ of $\mathbb{C}$

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Assume a finite field extension $\mathbb{C}/K$ such that $[\mathbb{C}:K]>2$. Let $\varphi \in \text{Aut}(\mathbb{C}/K)$, so $\varphi \in \text{Aut}(\mathbb{C})$ and $\varphi\vert_K=\text{id}\vert_K$.

Is it possible to show one of the three:

i. that the image $\varphi(\mathbb{R})$ is a subset of $\mathbb{R}$.

ii. that $\varphi$ is also a $\mathbb{R}$-Automorphism (which would follow from i.).

iii. that $\varphi$ is continuous on $\mathbb{R}$ (which follows from either i. or ii.).

We know that $(\varphi(i))^2=\varphi(i^2)=\varphi(-1)=-1$ as $\varphi\vert_{\mathbb{Q}}=\text{id}_{\mathbb{Q}}$ and we therefore have either $\varphi(i)=i$ or $\varphi(i)=-i$.

We also know that $\varphi$ fixes $K\cap\mathbb{R}$ pointwise and due to Artin-Schreier we have that $i$ is not in either $K$ or $K\cap\mathbb{R}$ as $K \cap \mathbb{R}$ is a subfield of $K$ and $\mathbb{R}$.

As $\mathbb{C}$ has characteristic $0$, so does $K$ and $K\cap\mathbb{R}$, and therfore $\mathbb{Q} \subseteq K\cap\mathbb{R} \subseteq K \subset \mathbb{C}$.

I tried to experiment with $K\cap\mathbb{R}$ but quite unsuccesful, as it could be equal to $\mathbb{Q}$ which isn#t of much use. It's also to note, that $\mathbb{C}/K$ is a Galois-Extension.

In the first version of the post I forgot to mention, that the degree of $\mathbb{C}/K$ is supposed to be finite!

Thanks for checking in :)

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8
On

As linked to in a comment, $\mathbb{C}$ has "wild" automorphisms over $\mathbb{Q}$ or really any subfield of $\mathbb{C}$ of transcendence degree at most countable. These are basically impossible to describe, but they definitely don't satisfy any of these properties you mentioned.

Any field automorphism must preserve $\mathbb{Q}$ pointwise, so if it were continuous on $\mathbb{R}$ it would have to be the identity on $\mathbb{R}$ and therefore the automorphism of $\mathbb{C}$ would have to be either the identity map or complex conjugation.

5
On

All three of your statements are true, but only vacuously so! There are no subfields $K\subseteq \mathbb{C}$ such that $\mathbb{C}$ is finite over $K$ and $[\mathbb{C}:K]>2$. More generally, by a theorem of Artin and Schreier, if any field $K$ is not algebraically closed but has an algebraic closure $\overline{K}$ that is finite over $K$, then $[\overline{K}:K]=2$, $K$ is a real-closed field, and $\overline{K}=K(\sqrt{-1})$.