EULER CHARACTERISTICS AS INVARIANTS OF IWASAWA MODULES

If $G$ is a pro-$p$, $p$-adic, Lie group containing no element of order $p$ and if $\Lambda (G)$ denotes the Iwasawa algebra of $G$ then we propose a number of invariants associated to finitely generated $\Lambda (G)$-modules, all given by various forms of Euler characteristic. The first turns out to be none other than the rank, and this gives a particularly convenient way of calculating the rank of Iwasawa modules. Others seem to play similar roles to the classical Iwasawa $\lambda $- and $\mu $-invariants. We explore some properties and give applications to the Iwasawa theory of elliptic curves.2000 Mathematical Subject Classification: primary 16E10; seconday 11R23.