Factorization in dedekind domains with finite class group

LetD be a Dedekind domain. It is well known thatD is then an atomic integral domain (that is to say, a domain in which each nonzero nonunit has a factorization as a product of irreducible elements). We study factorization properties of elements in Dedekind domains with finite class group. IfD has the property that any factorization of an elementα into irreducibles has the same length, thenD is called a half factorial domain (HFD, see [41]). IfD has the property that any factorization of an elementα into irreducibles has the same length modulor (for somer>1), thenD is called a congruence half factorial domain of orderr. In Section I we consider some general factorization properties of atomic integral domains as well as the interrelationship of the HFD and CHFD property in the Dedekind setting. In Section II we extend many of the results of [41], [42] and [36] concerning HFDs when the class group ofD is cyclic. Finally, in Section III we consider the CHFD property in detail and determine some basic properties of Dedekind CHFDs. IfG is any Abelian group andS any subset ofG−[0], then {G, S} is called a realizable pair if there exists a Dedekind domainD with class groupG such thatS is the set of nonprincipal classes ofG which contain prime ideals. We prove that for a finite abelian groupG there exists a realizable pair {G, S} such that any Dedekind domain associated to {G, S} is CHFD for somer>1 but not HFD if and only ifG is not isomorphic toZ ₂,Z ₂,Z ₂ ⊕Z ₂, orZ ₃ ⊕Z ₃. The first author received support under the John M. Bennett Fellowship at Trinity University and also gratefully acknowledges the support of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.