A Cassels-Pfister theorem for involutions on central simple algebras (Q1913983): Difference between revisions

The author proves an analogue of the Cassels-Pfister Theorem, for central simple algebras. Theorem. Let \(A\) be a finite dimensional central simple algebra over a field \(F\), and with involution *. Let * also denote the extensions of this involution to \(A[x]=A\otimes_FF[x]\) and \(A(x)=A\otimes_FF(x)\), where \(x^*=x\). If \(f^*f\in A[x]\) for \(f\in A(x)\), then \(g^*g=f^*f\) for \(g=uf\) with \(u\in A(x)\) and \(u^*u=1\). Applications concerning hyperbolic involutions are given. For example, if \(S=S(F)\) are the symmetric elements of \(F\) under *, then * is hyperbolic if its extension to \(A\otimes_SK\) is, for \(K\) an odd degree field extension of \(S\); and when * is anisotropic, then \((A\otimes_SS(\sqrt{d}),^*)\) is hyperbolic exactly when \(A\) contains a skew-symmetric square root of \(d\).