Square class groups and Witt rings of central simple algebras (Q1209825)

The Witt ring \(W(F)\) of quadratic forms over a field \(F\) can be described in terms of generators and relations. The generators are induced by the elements of the square class group \(G(F)\) of \(F\), whereas the relations are modelled on the chain equivalence of forms. This description has been used by \textit{T. C. Craven} [J. Algebra 77, 74-96 (1982; Zbl 0493.10026)] to define the Witt ringof a skew field. In this paper the authors proceed a little bit further extending the notions of square class group and Witt ring to central simple algebras. Let \(A\) be a central simple algebra over a field \(F\) of characteristic \(\neq 2\). The square class group of \(A\) is a factor group \(G(A):=A^*/(A^{*2})\), where \((A^{*2})\) is the subgroup of the multiplicative group \(A^*\) of units of \(A\) generated by squares. In the first chapter the authors present exact sequences that describe \(G(A)\) with the help of \(G(F)\) and the reduced norm \(N: A^*\to F^*\). Application of valuation theory as well as algebraic \(K\)-theory to the investigation of \(G(A)\) is shown. For example, Quillen's ``exact sequence of localization'' is used to describe \(G(D(t))\), \(D\) being a skew field. It is worth noticing an important conclusion of this chapter that points out that \(G(A)\) depends only on the 2-primary part of \(A\) in the Brauer group of \(F\). The second chapter deals with the Witt-Grothendieck ring \(\widehat {W}(A)\) and the Witt ring \(W(A)\) of \(A\). The ring \(\widehat{W}(A)\) is a factor ring of the integral group ring of \(G(A)\) by the ideal generated by the elements \(G(A)+aG(A)-(1+a)G(A)-a(1+a)G(A)\) with \(a\) and \(1+a\) in \(A^*\). The ring \(W(A)\) is the ring \(\widehat {W}(A)\) factored out by the ideal generated by \(G(A)+(-1)G(A)\). It turns out that if \(A\) is any central simple algebra with \(\text{ind A}<\deg A\) then the two rings can be explicitly described. The authors also show some relations between \(W(A)\) and \(W(F)\) when \(\deg A\) is odd. In the paper the authors obtain some new results and also extend some of the results obtained by the reviewer [Witt rings of skew fields, Pr. Nauk.Uniw. Śląsk. Katowicach 1079 (1989; Zbl 0706.11024)].