Decomposable quadratic forms and involutions (Q2496195)

A symmetric or a skew-symmetric bilinear form \(b\) on a finite-dimensional vector space \(V\) over a field \(F\) is called decomposable if \(b=b_1\otimes b_2\) where \(b_1,b_2\) are forms of dimension greater than~1. Any bilinear form induces an involution ad\(_b\) on the endomorphism algebra End\(\,V\) known as the adjoint involution of \(b.\) If \(b\) is decomposable, then the adjoint involution also decomposes, that is, (End\(\,V\), ad\(_b\))=(End\(\,V_1\otimes\) End\(\,V_2\), ad\(_{b_1}\otimes\)ad\(_{b_2}\)). In his book [\textit{D. B. Shapiro}, Compositions of Quadratic Forms, de Gruyter Expositions in Mathematics. 33. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. (2000; Zbl 0954.11011)] asked the following question: if the adjoint involution has a nontrivial decomposition of the form (End\(\,V\), ad\(_b)\simeq (A_1\otimes A_2, \sigma_1\otimes \sigma_2\)), does it follow that \(b\) decomposes nontrivially into a tensor product of bilinear forms? The aim of the paper is to give an affirmative answer in the case when \(F\) is a linked field (for example a local or a global field) and to produce a counterexample over fields of rational fractions in two variables over any formally real field.