Nontriviality of certain quotients of \(K_1\) groups of division algebras. (Q2370218)

Let \(D\) be a (non-commutative) division algebra, and let \(F\) denote its center. Let \(\text{CK}_1(D)=D^*/F^*D'\) and \(\text{NK}_1(D)=D^*/F^*D^{(1)}\), where \(D'\) is the commutator subgroup of \(D^*\), and \(D^{(1)}\) is the group of elements of norm \(1\). There is an obvious surjection \(\text{CK}_1(D)\to\text{NK}_1(D)\), whose kernel is closely related to the better known functor \(\text{SK}_1(D)=D^{(1)}/D'\). This paper is mostly concerned with the triviality of the above mentioned functors, following a conjecture that \(\text{CK}_1(D)\) is trivial only when \(D\) is the quaternion algebra over a formally real Pythagorean field. It is shown that if \(F\) is finitely generated over some subfield, but is not algebraic, then \(\text{NK}_1(D)\neq 1\), and as a result \(\text{CK}_1(D)\neq 1\). It then follows that \(D^*\) has (normal) maximal subgroups, a property which is not known to hold in general. In particular, the results hold if \(F\) is finitely generated over its prime field, or over an algebraically closed field. The technique is to reduce to prime-power degree, and then to lift the non-triviality of \(\text{NK}\) to a discrete valued field from its residue field.