Anneau de Witt des G-formes et multiples de G-formes trace

This thesis deals with the study of G-forms and particulary the trace form of a G-Galois algebra. Let k be a field of characteristic not two. Let G be a finite group and L a G-Galois algebra over k. We define the trace form qL by qL(x, y) = TrL/k(xy) for all x, y in L. This is a bilinear symmetric form which is G-invariant. In other words, qL is a G-form. We know that L has a self-dual normal basis if and only if the trace form qL is G-isomorphic to the unit G-form q0. This is an important reason to classify the trace forms. This work contains two different parts. In the first part, we study G-forms in general, putting a ring structure on their Witt group. We then proved an analogue of Pfister's theorem - i.e. there is no zero divisor of odd dimension - when k[G] is semi-simple, k is big enough and G is abelian. Counter-examples are given when these conditions are not fulfilled. In the second part of this thesis, we study the trace form qL of a G-Galois algebra. E. Bayer-Fluckiger and H. W. Lenstra proved that if G is of odd order, then qL is always G-isomorphic to the unit form. If G is of even order, this is no longer the case. However, if the field k is of cohomological 2-dimension less than or equal to 1, then E. Bayer-Fluckiger and J.-P. Serre gave a necessary and sufficient condition - in terms of cohomological invariants - for the trace form qL to be isomorphic to the unit form. M. Monsurrò generalized this result to fields of virtual cohomological 2-dimension equal to 1. However, in higher cohomological dimensions, it becomes very difficult to classify the trace form itself. But it is possible to give general results if we consider multiples of the trace form or more generally the product of the trace form by a quadratic form. E. Bayer-Fluckiger formulated 2 conjectures about the possibility of finding a complete system of invariants for such a product when the quadratic form lies in a certain ideal of the Witt ring of k depending on the cohomological dimension of the field. In this work, we prove the first conjecture for all cohomological dimensions and the second one for a field of cohomological 2-dimension equal to 2. A more general conjecture is proved including the fields of virtual cohomological 2-dimension equal to 2. Finally, the second conjecture of E. Bayer-Fluckiger is proved in all cohomological dimensions, but only when either the characteristic of k is non zero or the group G is abelian or a 2-group, or k is big enough.

Annihilating Polynomials for Quadratic Forms

Klaas-Tido Rühl

Let K be a field with char(K) ≠ 2. The Witt-Grothendieck ring (K) and the Witt ring W (K) of K are both quotients of the group ring ℤ[𝓖(K)], where 𝓖(K) := K*/(K*)2 is the square class group of K. Since ℤ[𝓖(K)] is integral, the same holds for (K) and W(K). The subject of this thesis is the study of annihilating polynomials for quadratic forms. More specifically, for a given quadratic form φ over K, we study polynomials P ∈ ℤ[X] such that P([φ]) = 0 or P({φ}) = 0. Here [φ] ∈ (K) denotes the isometry class and {φ} ∈ W(K) denotes the equivalence class of φ. The subset of ℤ[X] consisting of all annihilating polynomials for [φ], respectively {φ}, is an ideal, which we call the annihilating ideal of [φ], respectively {φ}. Chapter 1 is dedicated to the algebraic foundations for the study of annihilating polynomials for quadratic forms. First we study the general structure of ideals in ℤ[X], which later on allows us to efficiently determine complete sets of generators for annihilating ideals. Then we introduce a more natural setting for the study of annihilating polynomials for quadratic forms, i.e. we define Witt rings for groups of exponent 2. Both (K) and W(K) are Witt rings for the square class group 𝓖(K). Studying annihilating polynomials in this more general setting relieves us to a certain extent from having to distinguish between isometry and equivalence classes of quadratic forms. In Section 1.1 we study the structure of ideals in R[X], where R is a principal ideal domain. For an ideal I ⊂ R[X] there exist sets of generators, which can be obtained in a natural way by considering the leading coefficients of elements in I. These sets of generators are called convenient. By discarding super uous elements we obtain modest sets of generators, which under certain assumptions are minimal sets of generators for I. Let G be a group of exponent 2. In Section 1.2 we study annihilating polynomials for elements of ℤ[G]. With the help of the ring homomorphisms Hom(ℤ[G],ℤ) it is possible to completely classify annihilating polynomials for elements of ℤ[G]. Note that an annihilating polynomial for an element f ∈ ℤ[G] also annihilates the image of f in any quotient of ℤ[G]. In particular, Witt rings for G are quotients of ℤ[G]. In Section 1.3 we use the ring homomorphisms Hom(ℤ[G],ℤ) to describe the prime spectrum of ℤ[G]. The obtained results can then be employed for the characterisation of the prime spectrum of a Witt ring R for G. Section 1.4 is dedicated to proving the structure theorems for Witt rings. More precisely, we generalise the structure theorems for Witt rings of fields to the general setting of Witt rings for groups of exponent 2. Section 1.5 serves to summarise Chapter 1. If R is a Witt ring for G, then we use the structure theorems to determine, for an element x ∈ R, the specific shape of convenient and modest sets of generators for the annihilating ideal of x. In Chapter 2 we study annihilating polynomials for quadratic forms over fields. More specifically, we first consider fields K, over which quadratic forms can be classified with the help of the classical invariants. Calculations involving these invariants allow us to classify annihilating ideals for isometry and equivalence classes of quadratic forms over K. Then we apply methods from the theory of generic splitting to study annihilating polynomials for excellent quadratic forms. Throughout Chapter 2 we make heavy usage of the results obtained in Chapter 1. Let K be a field with char(K) ≠ 2. Section 2.1 constitutes an introduction to the algebraic theory of quadratic forms over fields. We introduce the Witt-Grothendieck ring (K) and the Witt ring W(K), and we show that these are indeed Witt rings for 𝓖(K). In addition we adapt the structure theorems to the specific setting of quadratic forms. In Section 2.2 we introduce Brauer groups and quaternion algebras, and in Section 2.3 we define the first three cohomological invariants of quadratic forms. In particular we use quaternion algebras to define the Clifford invariant. In Section 2.4 we begin our actual study of annihilating polynomials for quadratic forms. Henceforth it becomes necessary to distinguish between isometry and equivalence classes of quadratic forms. We start by classifying annihilating ideals for quadratic forms over fields K, for which (K) and W(K) have a particularly simple structure. Subsequently we use calculations involving the first three cohomological invariants to determine annihilating ideals for quadratic forms over a field K such that I3(K) = {0}, where I(K) ⊂ W(K) is the fundamental ideal. Local fields, which are a special class of such fields, are studied in Section 2.5. By applying the Hasse-Minkowski Theorem we can then determine annihilating ideals of quadratic forms over global fields. Section 2.6 serves as an introduction to the elementary theory of generic splitting. In particular we introduce Pfister neighbours and excellent quadratic forms, which are the subjects of study in Section 2.7. We use methods from generic splitting to study annihilating polynomials for Pfister neighbours. The obtained result can be applied inductively to obtain annihilating polynomials for excellent quadratic forms. We conclude the section by giving an alternative, elementary approach to the study of annihilating polynomials for excellent forms, which makes use of the fact that (K) and W(K) are quotients of ℤ[𝓖(K)].

EPFL2010

Rationally isomorphic hermitian forms and torsors of some non-reductive groups

Eva Bayer Fluckiger

Let R be a semilocal Dedekind domain. Under certain assumptions, we show that two (not necessarily unimodular) hermitian forms over an R-algebra with involution, which are rationally isomorphic and have isomorphic semisimple coradicals, are in fact isomorphic. The same result is also obtained for quadratic forms equipped with an action of a finite group. The results have cohomological restatements that resemble the Grothendieck-Serre conjecture, except the group schemes involved are not reductive. We show that these group schemes are closely related to group schemes arising in Bruhat-Tits theory. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science2017

Patching And Weak Approximation In Isometry Groups

Eva Bayer Fluckiger

Let R be a semilocal principal ideal domain. Two algebraic objects over R in which scalar extension makes sense (e.g. quadratic spaces) are said to be of the same genus if they become isomorphic after extending scalars to all completions of R and its fraction field. We prove that the number of isomorphism classes in the genus of unimodular quadratic spaces over ( not necessarily commutative) R-orders is always a finite power of 2, and under further assumptions, e.g., that the order is hereditary, this number is 1. The same result is also shown for related objects, e.g., systems of sesquilinear forms. A key ingredient in the proof is a weak approximation theorem for groups of isometries, which is valid over any (topological) base field, and even over semilocal base rings.

Amer Mathematical Soc2017

Annihilating Polynomials for Quadratic Forms

Klaas-Tido Rühl

EPFL2010