Classes de Stiefel-Whitney de formes quadratiques et de représentations galoisiennes réelles (Q762217)

The author applies the notion of multiplicative transfer [\textit{L. Evens}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 108, 54-65 (1963; Zbl 0122.028)] to the study of Stiefel-Whitney classes of induced representations. Let F be a field of characteristic \(\neq 2\), \(G_ F\) be the Galois group of its closure, E/F be a finite separable extension, \(G_ E\subset G_ F\). Consider a continuous real representation \(\rho\) of \(G_ E\). Then \[ w(Ind \rho)=N(w(\rho))\cdot w(Ind 1)^ r \] where Ind \(\rho\) is the induced representation of \(G_ F\), w( )\(\in H^*(G,{\mathbb{Z}}/2)\) are Stiefel- Whitney classes, \(N: H^*(G_ E,{\mathbb{Z}}/2)\to H^*(G_ F,{\mathbb{Z}}/2)\) the multiplicative transfer, \(r=rank \rho\), 1 the trivial representation. If q is a non-degenerate quadratic form over E, then we have \(w(q)\in H^*(G_ E,{\mathbb{Z}}/2)\) [Stiefel-Whitney classes defined by \textit{A. Delzant}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris 255, 1366-1368 (1962; Zbl 0108.043)] and a form T(q) over F, \(T(q)(x)=Tr_{E/F} q(x)\). Then \[ w(T(q))=N(w(q))\cdot w(T(1))^ r \] where \(r=rank q\), 1 is the form \(x\mapsto x^ 2\) on E. These theorems have nontrivial intersection for the case of 1-dimensional representation of \(G_ E\) defined by the Kummer character of E(\(\sqrt{a})/E\) and 1-rank form \(x\mapsto ax^ 2\). Aside the proofs the paper contains very ample discussion of transfer with relations to topology and K-theory.