Algebras with involution that become hyperbolic over the function field of a conic. (Q616527)

Consider a central simple algebra with involution, \((A,\sigma)\), and a quaternion division algebra with canonical involution, \((Q,^-)\), over a field \(F\) of characteristic different from two, and let \(F_Q\) be the function field of the Severi-Brauer variety of \(Q\), i.e., if \(Q=(a,b)_F\) then \(F_Q\) is the function field of the conic defined by the quadratic form \(\langle 1,-a,-b\rangle\). The present paper is motivated by the following observation. Since the involution \(^-\) is symplectic, this involution becomes hyperbolic over any field extension that splits \(Q\), so in particular over \(F_Q\). Thus, if \((A,\sigma)\) contains \((Q,^-)\) in the sense that there exists another central simple algebra with involution \((B,\tau)\) such that \((A,\sigma)\cong(Q,^-)\otimes(B,\tau)\) as algebras with involution, then \(\sigma\) becomes hyperbolic over \(F_Q\). The authors consider the question when the reverse implication holds. They first treat the case where \(A\) is split over \(F_Q\), in which case either \(A\) is split over \(F\) or Brauer-equivalent to \(Q\). Detailed descriptions on the structure of \((A,\sigma)\) are obtained in the case when \((A,\sigma)_{F_Q}\) is hyperbolic. For example, it is shown that if \(\sigma\) is anisotropic and \((A,\sigma)_{F_Q}\) is split hyperbolic, then \((A,\sigma)\) contains \((Q,^-)\). Next they treat algebras of degree \(4\) and they show that in the case of an orthogonal involution \(\sigma\), \((A,\sigma)_{F_Q}\) is hyperbolic iff \((A,\sigma)\) is hyperbolic or contains \((Q,^-)\), and they also give explicit structure results describing exactly those algebras of degree \(4\) with symplectic involution that become hyperbolic over \(F_Q\), including a classification of such algebras that do not contain \((Q,^-)\). This latter result is intrinsically linked to the classification of so-called \(F_Q\)-minimal quadratic forms of dimension \(5\) obtained by the reviewer, \textit{D. W. Lewis} and \textit{J. Van Geel} [Proc.\ Symp.\ Pure Math.\ 58, Part 2, 227-237 (1995; Zbl 0824.11024)]. Next, the authors study algebras \((A,\sigma)\) of degree \(8\) with orthogonal involution that are totally decomposable, i.e. \((A,\sigma)=(Q_1,\sigma_1)\otimes(Q_2,\sigma_2)\otimes(Q_3,\sigma_3)\) where the \((Q_i,\sigma_i)\) are quaternion algebras with involution and \(\sigma_i=\sigma|_{Q_i}\). They show that there is a canonical way to attach to \((A,\sigma)\) an \(8\)-dimensional quadratic form \(\varphi\) of discriminant \(1\) which is uniquely determined up to similarity (a fact already noticed by \textit{A. S. Sivatski} [Commun.\ Algebra 33, No.\ 3, 937-951 (2005; Zbl 1142.11023)]), and they show that \((A,\sigma)\) contains \((Q,^-)\) iff \(\varphi\) contains a subform similar to \(\langle 1,-a,-b\rangle\). Using results by the reviewer and \textit{J. Van Geel} [Manuscr.\ Math.\ 86, No.\ 1, 23-48 (1995; Zbl 0824.11022)] on \(7\)-dimensional \(F_Q\)-minimal forms, this criterion allows to construct such algebras \((A,\sigma)\) that become hyperbolic over \(F_Q\) but do not contain \((Q,^-)\). They also obtain criteria for when a degree \(8\) algebra with orthogonal involution that is not totally decomposable becomes hyperbolic over \(F_Q\), and they show how to construct examples of algebras \((A,\sigma)\) of arbitrarily high degree that become hyperbolic over \(F_Q\) but do not contain \((Q,^-)\).