On Galois groups over Pythagorean and semi-real closed fields (Q1320027)

The authors call a field \(K\) semi-real closed, if \(K\) admits a semi- ordering which does not extend to any proper algebraic extension of \(K\). Inspired by the well known theorem of Artin and Schreier that being a real closed field is a Galois-theoretic property, they prove a similar result for semi-real closed fields. Preliminary work is done in the first four chapters: first the authors realize certain group theoretic constructions as absolute Galois groups of pythagorean fields. In \S4 the authors introduce the covering number \(cn(T)\) of a preordering \(T\) as the minimal size of a cover \(\{s_ i\mid i\in I\}\) of \(T\), that is \(T= \bigcap_{i\in I} \{x\in K\mid xS_ i= S_ i\}\), \(S_ i\) semi-ordering, and define \(cn(K)= cn(\sum K^ 2)\). Theorem 5.1 is the main result of this paper and states the following: Let \(K\) and \(L\) be fields, a) \(G(K_ q/K)\cong G(L_ q/ L),K\) pythagorean \(\Rightarrow cn(K)= cn(L)\); b) \(G(K_ q/K)\cong G(L_ q/ L),K\) (quadratically) semi-real closed \(\Rightarrow L\) (quadratically) semi-real closed. 5.2 describes which pro-2 groups with \(cn(G)=1\) occur as the absolute Galois group of a semi-real closed field of finite chain length. This is made effective since the authors develop a method of computing \(cn(G)\).