The descent of biquaternion algebras in characteristic two (Q2303690)

Let \(C\) be a central simple (associative) algebra over a field \(K\), and let \(F\) be a subfield of \(K\). We say that \(C\) has a descent to \(F\) if there exists a central simple \(F\)-algebra \(C_0\), such that \(C\) is isomorphic over \(K\) to the tensor product \(C_0 \otimes_F K\). When the degree \([K\colon F]\) equals the exponent exp\((C)\), a necessary condition for \(C\) to have a descent to \(F\) is that the image of \(C\) under the corestriction mapping cor\(_{K/F}\) be Brauer equivalent to \(F\). This condition is sufficient in case \(K/F\) is a separable quadratic extension and \(A\) is a quaternion algebra over \(K\) (see Chapter X, Theorem~21, in: [\textit{A. A. Albert}, Structure of algebras. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1939; Zbl 0023.19901)]). This fact does not generalize to biquaternion algebras. For example, take a division algebra \(D\) over a field \(\Phi \) such that deg\((D) = 8\) and exp\((D) = 2\), which does not decompose as a tensor product of three quaternion algebras (the existence of \(D/\Phi \) has been established in: [\textit{S. A. Amitsur} et al., Isr. J. Math. 33, 133--148 (1979; Zbl 0422.16010)], and take a separable quadratic field extension \(\Psi \) of \(\Phi \) inside \(D\) (for a proof of the existence of \(\Psi \), see [\textit{L. H. Rowen}, Isr. J. Math. 29, 285--301 (1978; Zbl 0392.16011)]. Then the centralizer \(B\) of \(\Psi \) in \(D\) is a biquaternion algebra over \(\Psi \), which is Brauer equivalent to \(D \otimes_{\Phi } \Psi \); as noted by the authors of the paper under review, this ensures that \(B\) does not admit a descent over \(\Phi \), although it satisfies the above-noted necessary condition to have such a descent. Henceforth, we assume that \(K/F\) is a separable quadratic field extension, and \(B\) is a biquaternion \(K\)-algebra. The purpose of the paper under review is to associate with \(B\) an invariant \(\delta_{K/F}(B)\), and to show that \(\delta_{K/F}(B)\) is trivial if and only if \(B\) has a descent to \(F\). This has been done by the first-named author in an earlier paper (see [Math. Z. 276, No. 3--4, 1113--1132 (2014; Zbl 1312.16013)]), under the hypothesis that the characteristic char\((F)\) is different from \(2\), so the authors restrict to the case where char\((F) = 2\). The invariant \(\delta_{K/F}(B)\) is defined using the Kato-Milne cohomology groups, a characteristic \(2\) analogue to the classical Galois cohomology groups. In addition, the paper extends to characteristic \(2\) several results of the first-named author [loc. cit.] in characteristic not \(2\). In the first place, it provides an example of an indecomposable algebra of exponent \(2\) and degree \(8\) over a suitably chosen field of \(2\)-cohomological dimension \(3\) (in the sense of Kato-Milne). As explained by the authors, this is impossible in cohomological \(2\)-dimension \(\le 2\). Secondly, the paper shows that if \(\mathbb{F}\) is an odd degree extension of \(F\) (in a separable closure of \(K\)) and \(\mathbb{K}\) is the compositum \(\mathbb{F}K\), then for each biquaternion \(K\)-algebra \(B\), if \(\delta_{\mathbb{K}/\mathbb{F}}(B \otimes_K \mathbb{K}) = 0\), then \(\delta_{K/F}(B) = 0\). Finally, an appendix is devoted to the proof in characteristic \(2\) of the following theorem due to \textit{N. A. Karpenko} in characteristic not equal to \(2\) (see [Leningr. Math. J. 2, No. 1, 119--138 (1991); translation from Algebra Anal. 2, No. 1, 141--162 (1990; Zbl 0791.11019)]): if \(\varphi \) is a regular quadratic form over a field \(F\) of dimension \(d > 8\), and \(X_{\varphi }\) is its projective quadric, then the Chow group CH\(^2(X_{\varphi })\) is torsion-free.