Witt equivalence of central simple algebras with involution (Q1568119)

Let \(F\) be a field of characteristic not \(2\) and consider the central simple \(F\)-algebras with involution of the first kind. Two algebras \((A,\sigma)\) and \((B,\tau)\) are isomorphic if there is an isomorphism between \(A\) and \(B\) compatible with the involutions. These isomorphism classes form a commutative semigroup \(S\) under tensor product, with unit element \((F,1)\). The classes of hyperbolic involutions (i.e. adjoint to some hyperbolic form) form an ideal \(H\) in \(S\) and by collapsing \(H\) to \(0\) (forming the Rees quotient) the authors obtain a semigroup \(S(F)\) which they call the Witt semigroup of \(F\) [cf. \textit{D. W. Lewis}, Semigroup Forum 60, No. 1, 80-92 (2000; see the following review Zbl 0957.16014)]. They also use the orthogonal sum construction of \textit{I. Dejaiffe} [Commun. Algebra 26, No. 5, 1589-1612 (1998; Zbl 0919.16025)] to define Witt equivalence of algebras, which is actually a congruence on \(S(F)\). The quotient semigroup, written \(\overline S(F)\) is called the small Witt semigroup of \(F\). In (\textit{D. W. Lewis}, loc. cit.) it was shown that \(S(F)\) has a number of properties relating to whether \(F\) is formally real or not; here the authors show that these properties also hold for \(\overline S(F)\). They also give a description of the involution trace form of the orthogonal sum. These results are illustrated by taking \(F\) equal to the complex or real numbers, a finite field or a \(p\)-adic field, for an odd prime \(p\).