On cubic étale algebras (Q1378258)

The cubic etale algebras considered in this paper are commutative associative algebras of dimension \(3\) over a field \(F\), which become isomorphic to \(F_{s}\times F_{s}\times F_{s}\) after scalar extension to a separable closure \(F_{s}\) of \(F\). A quadratic etale algebra \(\Delta(L)\) called the discriminant of \(L\) is canonically associated to every cubic etale algebra \(L\). Let \(K\) be a fixed quadratic etale \(F\)-algebra. Using a corresponding cocycle to twist the trivial action of the absolute Galois group of \(F\) on the cyclic group of order \(3\), we obtain a Galois module \((C_{3})_{K}\). The Galois cohomology group \(H^{1}(F,(C_{3})_{K})\) classifies the pairs \((L,\phi)\) consisting of a cubic etale algebra \(L\) and an \(F\)-algebra isomorphism \(\phi\colon \Delta(L)\to K\). The set of isomorphism classes of such pairs is thus endowed with an abelian group structure. The purpose of the paper is to describe this group structure explicitly. In the particular case where \(K=F\times F\), the cubic etale \(F\)-algebras with discriminant \(K\) are exactly the cyclic \(F\)-algebras of degree \(3\); this case has been extensively investigated earlier [see, e.g., \textit{K.-H. Ulbrich}, Commun. Algebra 18, 2275-2279 (1990; Zbl 0716.13006)]. If the characteristic of \(F\) is different from \(2\) and \(3\) and \(K=F[T]/(T^{2}-\delta)\), the authors show that every cubic etale \(F\)-algebra with discriminant isomorphic to \(K\) is of the form \(F[T]/(T^{3}-3T-c)\), where \(c\in F\) is such that \(27(4-c^{2})=\delta s^{2}\) for some \(s\in F^\times\). The pairs \((L,\phi)\) are parametrized by rational points \((c,s)\) on the conic \(27X^{2}+\delta Y^{2}=108\) hence also by norm \(1\) elements in the quadratic etale algebra \(F[T]/(T^{2}+3\delta)\). Denoting by \(E\) the group of these elements of norm \(1\), the group of pairs \((L,\phi)\) is shown to be isomorphic to the factor group \(E/E^{3}\). Similar results are obtained in characteristic \(2\) and \(3\).