Hermitian forms over odd dimensional algebras

Abstract

Let L be an odd degree extension field of the field K, char K ≠ 2. Let U* denote the natural extension map from W(K) to W(L) where W(K), resp. W(L) denotes the Witt group of quadratic forms over K, resp. L. It is well-known that U* is injective [4, p. 198]. In fact Springer [10] proved a stronger theorem, namely that if φ is anisotropic over K then it remains anisotropic on extension to L. Rosenberg and Ware [8] proved that if L is a Galois extension then the image of U* is precisely the subgroup of W(L) fixed by the Galois group of L over K, this Galois group having a natural action on W(L). See [4, p. 214] and [3] for a quick proof. See also Dress [1] who extended these results to equivariant forms. In this article we investigate the corresponding map U* when we replace the field L by a central simple K-algebra of odd degree and indeed more generally by any finite dimensional K-algebra which becomes odd-dimensional on factoring out by the radical. Our algebras are equipped with an involution of the second kind, i.e. one which is non-trivial on the centre, and we replace quadratic forms by hermitian forms with respect to the involution. We show that U* is injective for all the algebras mentioned above and that a weaker version of Springer's theorem holds for central simple algebras of odd degree provided we make a suitable restriction on the nature of the involution. We show that the analogue of the Rosenberg-Ware result is valid for hermitian forms over odd-dimensional Galois field extensions but that for central simple algebras of odd degree a result as nice as the Rosenberg–Ware one cannot hold. Indeed the group of all K-automorphisms of such an algebra which commute with the involution fixes all of the Witt group. However the map U* is not surjective in general even for division algebras of odd degree.