2-torsion of the Brauer group of an elliptic curve: Generators and relations (Q5949805)

The main object of the paper under review is an elliptic curve \(E\) defined over a field \(K\) of characteristic different from 2 by an affine equation \(y^2=f(x)\) where \(f(x)\) is a monic polynomial of degree 3 without multiple roots. The authors' goal is to describe the 2-torsion subgroup of the Brauer group \(\text{Br}(E)\) by generators and relations. Their main results (theorems 3.6, 4.13, and 5.2-5.3) provide such a description in the cases where the number of roots of \(f\) lying in \(K\) is 3, 1, and 0, respectively. This is an explicit list of algebras defined over \(K(E)\) which, together with numerical algebras (that is those coming from \(K\)), generate \({}_2 \text{Br}(E)\). In the case where \(K\) is a local non-dyadic field, the authors give even more precise description thus recovering results of \textit{V.~Yanchevskij} and \textit{G. L. Margolin} [St. Petersb. Math. J. 7, 473-505 (1996; Zbl 0882.14011)].