I am familiar with the proof of uniqueness of splitting fields that employs this lemma (Dummit & Foote, Abstract Algebra, Theorem 13.1.8):
Let $\varphi : F \to F'$ be an isomorphism of fields. Let $p(x) \in F[x]$ be an irreducible polynomial and let $p'(x) \in F'[x]$ be the irreducible polynomial obtained by applying the map $\varphi$ to the coefficients of $p(x)$. Let $\alpha$ be a root of $p(x)$ (in some extension of $F$) and let $\beta$ be a root of $p'(x)$ (in some extension of $F'$). Then there is an isomorphism $$\begin{aligned} \sigma : F(\alpha) &\to F'(\beta) \\ \alpha &\mapsto \beta \end{aligned}$$ mapping $\alpha$ to $\beta$ and extending $\varphi$, i.e., such that $\sigma$ restricted to $F$ is the isomorphism $\varphi$.
I would like to know if it is ever unnecessary to demand the existence of $\beta$ in this lemma. More precisely, for which $K$ and $K'$ is the following true?
Let $\varphi : F \to F'$ be an isomorphism of fields. Let $p(x) \in F[x]$ be an irreducible polynomial and let $p'(x) \in F'[x]$ be the irreducible polynomial obtained by applying the map $\varphi$ to the coefficients of $p(x)$. Let $K/F$ and $K'/F'$ be field extensions. If $p(x)$ has a root $\alpha \in K$, then $p'(x)$ has a root in $K'$.
In the application to splitting fields, $K'$ is (contains) a splitting field for $p'(x)$, so $p'(x)$ automatically has a root in $K'$. But I am also interested if it is true in the following situations:
- $K = K'$
- $K \cong K'$ as fields
- There exists a field isomorphism $\widetilde{\varphi} : K \to K'$ which restricts to $\varphi$ on $F$