Autodual normal bases and unitary groups of characteristic 2 (Q2249231)

The main object of the paper under review is a self-dual normal basis \(B\) of a finite Galois field extension \(L/k\) with group \(G\) (this means that \(B\) is orthonormal with respect to the trace form and \(G\)-stable). In the case where \(G\) is abelian, \textit{E. Bayer-Fluckiger} and \textit{H. W. Lenstra jun.} [Am. J. Math. 112, No. 3, 359--373 (1990; Zbl 0729.12006)] proved that such a basis exists if and only if \(G\) has no elements of order 2 (resp. 4) provided the characteristic of \(k\) is different from 2 (resp. equal to 2). The main result of the paper under review extends this criterion to nonabelian Galois extensions in characteristic 2: a self-dual normal basis exists if and only if \(G\) is generated by elements of odd order and of order two. (The case where \(G\) is of odd order was treated earlier by \textit{E. Bayer-Fluckiger} [Indag. Math. 51, No. 4, 379--383 (1989; Zbl 0709.12004)]). The author notes that this result is surprising in the sense that the existence of a self-dual normal basis depends only on \(G\) but not on the extension \(L/k\), which is in sharp contrast with the case of characteristic different from 2. This criterion is obtained as a consequence of a more general one, interesting by its own right, which concerns the equivalence of trace forms \(q_L\) and \(q_{L'}\) of Galois \(G\)-algebras \(L\), \(L'\) over \(k\): such forms are equivalent as bilinear \(G\)-forms if and only if the \(G/G_0\)-algebras \(L^{G_0}\) and \(L\prime^{G_0}\) are isomorphic (here \(G_0\) denotes the subgroup of \(G\) generated by the elements of order 2 and the squares). This general result has other interesting applications. One of such is a theorem of Springer flavour: if trace \(G\)-forms \(q_L\), \(q_{L'}\) as above become isomorphic over an odd degree extension of \(k\), they are isomorphic over \(k\). The author notes that in contrast with the case of characteristic different from 2, it is unknown whether such a fact holds for arbitrary bilinear symmetric \(G\)-forms. Another consequence is a Hasse principle for trace \(G\)-forms in the case where \(k\) is a global field of characteristic 2 (in the case of characteristic different from 2, this principle was established by \textit{E. Bayer-Fluckiger} et al. [Izv. Math. 77, No. 3, 437--460 (2013); translation from Izv. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Mat. 77, No. 3, 5--28 (2013; Zbl 1368.11030)]). In characteristic 2 this principle holds in a stronger form: it is enough to require local equivalence at all but a finite number of places, or even at all places from a set of analytic density greater than 1/2. The proof goes through reduction to the case where the base field is perfect followed by translation into the language of Galois cohomology. The main ingredient is the triviality of any \(U^0_A\)-torsor where \(A\) is a finite-dimensional \(k\)-algebra with involution over a perfect field \(k\) of characteristic 2, \(U_A\) is the unitary group of \(A\), and \(U^0_A\) is its identity component.