Degeneracy and decomposability in Abelian crossed products. (Q536193)

Every central simple algebra decomposes as a tensor product of algebras of prime-power degree. Criteria for the decomposability of division algebras of prime-power degree, beyond the trivial fact that an algebra whose exponent is equal to the index is indecomposable, are not easy to obtain. Consider a central division algebra \(D\) of degree \(p^2\), containing a maximal subfield \(K\) which is Galois over the center with split Abelian Galois group. Such an algebra, called a crossed product, can be fully described by the field \(K\) and three constants, corresponding to the defining relations of the group. If \(\sigma_1,\sigma_2\) are automorphisms generating the Galois group, there are elements \(z_1\) and \(z_2\) whose conjugation induces \(\sigma_1\) and \(\sigma_2\) on \(K\). The commutator \(u=z_2z_1z_2^{-1}z_1^{-1}\) is an element of norm \(1\) in \(K\), controlling the decomposability of the algebra into a tensor product of cyclic algebras: if \(u=1\) then \(D=K^{\sigma_1}[z_2]\otimes K^{\sigma_2}[z_1]\), and such a decomposition, which is compatible with \(K\), is possible if and only if \(u\) has the form \(\sigma_1(a_1)a_1^{-1}\cdot\sigma_2(a_2)a_2^{-1}\) for some \(a_1,a_2\in K\), in which case \(u\) is \textit{degenerate}. This discussion extends to any degree \(p^n\). This paper provides an example of a crossed product of degree \(p^2\) with non-degenerate \(u\), which is nevertheless decomposable. Starting from a generic Abelian crossed product, this is done by extending scalars to the generic splitting field of its product with two cyclic algebras. The algebra thus becomes decomposable, but it retains enough of its generic features to have non-degenerate \(u\).