Higher Stickelberger ideals and even K-groups.

We use the analogy between class groups and even K-groups of the ring of integers of a number field and "Higher Stickelberger" ideals within K-theory to prove an index formula for these ideals in a finite abelian extension of real number fields, which is similar to the classic Stickelberger ideal index formula proved by Iwasawa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]