TITLE: minimal polynomial of $\sin (2\pi/7)$ over $\mathbb Q(\sqrt 7)$
QUESTION [6 upvotes]: How to find the minimal polynomial of $\sin (2\pi/7)$ over $\mathbb Q(\sqrt 7)$ ? And the minimal polynomial of $\sin (2\pi/11)$ over $\mathbb Q(\sqrt {11})$  ?
I know that the minimal polynomial of $\sin (2\pi/7)$ over $\mathbb Q$ is $\dfrac 1{64} (64x^6-112x^4+56x^2-7)$ , but what is the minimal polynomial over $\mathbb Q(\sqrt 7)$ ?
Please help.

REPLY [5 votes]: Everything happens inside the field $L=\Bbb{Q}(\zeta,i)$, where $\zeta=e^{2\pi i/7}$. The field $K=\Bbb{Q}(\sqrt{7})$ is a subfield of $L$.
This implies that the question can be answered by applying Galois theory. See below.
The extension $L/\Bbb{Q}$ is Galois as a compositum of the seventh cyclotomic field and the quadratic extension $\Bbb{Q}(i)$. Therefore $Gal(L/\Bbb{Q})\simeq C_6\times C_2$.
Any automorphism is uniquely determined by where it maps $\zeta$ and $i$, and all the twelve possible combinations occur.
Because (check out Gauss sums or look at this old answer)
$$
\zeta+\zeta^2+\zeta^4=\frac{-1+i\sqrt7}2
$$
we can write 
$$
\sqrt7=-2i(\zeta+\zeta^2+\zeta^4)-i.
$$
As $\overline{\zeta+\zeta^2+\zeta^4}=\zeta^3+\zeta^5+\zeta^6$ it follows that $\sqrt7$ is stable under the automorphism $\sigma$ defined by $\sigma(i)=-i$,
$\sigma(\zeta)=\zeta^3$. Because the restriction of $\sigma$ to $\Bbb{Q}(\zeta)$ has order six, so does $\sigma$. Therefore we can conclude that
$$
Gal(L/K)=\langle\sigma\rangle\simeq C_6.
$$
What this means is that the $K$-conjugates of $u=2\sin(2\pi/7)=-i(\zeta-\zeta^{-1})$ are
$$
\sigma(u)=i(\zeta^3-\zeta^{-3})=-2\sin(6\pi/7)
$$
and
$$
\sigma^2(u)=-i(\zeta^9-\zeta^{-9})=2\sin(4\pi/7).
$$
As an extra exercise you are invited to verify that $\sigma^3(u)=u$.
Therefore the minimal polynomial of $u$ over $K$ is the cubic
$$
m(x)=(x-2\sin(2\pi/7))(x+2\sin(6\pi/7))(x-2\sin(4\pi/7)).
$$
Also leaving it to you to crunch out those sums of powers of $\zeta$ and $i$, and to prove that
$$
m(x)=x^3-\sqrt7 x^2+\sqrt7\in K[x].
$$
Getting the minimal polynomial of $u/2$ from here is, of course, trivial.