Cohomology and graded Witt group kernels for extensions of degree four in characteristic two (Q298040): Difference between revisions

For a field extension \(E/F\), let \(W_q(E/F)\) denote the kernel of the restriction map \(W_q(F)\rightarrow W_q(E)\) between the Witt groups of nonsingular quadratic forms over \(F\) and \(E\) respectively. Computing \(W_q(E/F)\) is a central problem in the algebraic theory of quadratic forms. This paper is concerned with the corresponding kernel for the graded quadratic Witt group \(GW_q(E/F)\). Let \(I(F)\) be the fundamental ideal of even symmetric bilinear forms in the Witt ring \(W(F)\). Via the natural action of \(W(F)\) on \(W_q(F)\) we define \(I^nW_q(F)=I^n(F)W_q(F)\), where \(I^n(F)\) is the \(n\)th power of the fundamental ideal. Then \(GW_q(F)\) is the graded group \(\oplus_{n=0}^\infty I^nW_q(F)/I^{n+1}W_q(F)\) and \(GW_q(E/F)\) is the kernel of the natural restriction map \(GW_q(F)\rightarrow GW_q(E)\). This paper determins \(GW_q(E/F)\) in the case where \(F\) is of characteristic \(2\) and \(E/F\) is a degree \(4\) extension whose Galois closure is a two-extension. This gives three sub-cases, \(E/F\) is biquadratic, for which \(GW_q(E/F)\) was already determined in [\textit{R. Aravire} and \textit{B. Jacob}, J. Algebra 370, 297--319 (2012; Zbl 1294.11048)], \(E/F\) is cyclic and \(E/F\) has dihedral closure. The results are obtained by calculating the respective kernels for certain quotient groups of Kähler differential forms, which correspond to the groups \(I^nW_q(F)/I^{n+1}W_q(F)\) in characteristic \(2\) by Kato's isomorphisms. The main tool in the proofs is the study of \textit{O. Izhboldin}'s groups \(Q^n(F,m)\), see [in: Chow groups of quadrics and the stabilization conjecture. Adv. Sov. Math. 4, 129--144 (1991; Zbl 0746.19002)]. These groups are certain quotients of \(W_m(F)\otimes F^{\ast \otimes n}\) where \(W_m(F)\) denotes the Witt vectors over \(F\) of length \(m\). The general machinery presented in the paper for both these groups and abelian \(p\)-groups is constructed in more generality than needed for future use over fields of characteristic \(p>0\). Note that the Witt kernel for the non-graded Witt group has recently been found for all degree \(4\) extensions in [\textit{D. W. Hoffmann} and \textit{M. Sobiech}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 10, 4619--4634 (2015; Zbl 1364.11092)].