Multipliers of improper similitudes (Q1875717)

Let \(A\) be a central simple algebra of degree \(2n\) over a field \(k\) (of char. not \(2\)), with an involution \(\sigma\) of orthogonal type. An element \(g \in A^{\times}\) is a similitude if \(\mu(g) = \sigma(g)g\) is central. The reduced norm of such an element is \(\pm \mu(g)^n\); the similitude is proper if its reduced norm is \(\mu(g)^n\), improper otherwise. Let \(G(A)\) denote the image of \(\mu\) in \(k^{\times}\) . Elements of \(G(A)\) are called multipliers. The relation of \(G(A)\) to the discriminant \(d\) of \((A,\sigma)\) was studied by \textit{A. S. Merkurjev} and \textit{J.-P. Tignol} in [J. Reine Angew. Math. 461, 13--47 (1995; Zbl 0819.16015)]. In this paper the similitudes are related to the next invariant, namely the Clifford algebra \(C = C(A,\sigma)\). Let \(Z\) denote the center of \(C\), a quadratic étale \(k\)-algebra. Let \(H^i(k)\) denote the \(i\)th Galois cohomology of \(k\) with coefficients in the \(2\)-primary group of roots of unity (on which the absolute Galois group acts by raising the natural action to the \(i-1\) power). In particular \([d] \in H^1(k)\) and \([C] \in H^2(k)\). Let \(H^2(k)/A\) denote the quotient of \(H^2(k)\) by the subgroup \(\left<[A]\right>\), and \(H^3(k)/A\) the quotient of \(H^3(k)\) by \(k^\times \cup [A]\). Merkurjev and Tignol showed that \(\lambda \cup d = 0\) in \(H^2(k)/A\) for any multiplier \(\lambda\). The main results of this paper are as follows: First, when \(A\) is split by \(Z\), there is an element \(\gamma \in H^2(k)\) whose restriction to \(Z\) equals \(C\); then \(\lambda \cup \gamma = 0\) in \(H^3 / A\) for any multiplier \(\lambda\). Next, let \(\lambda\) be a proper multiplier, then \(\lambda = \text{Norm}_{Z/k}(z)\) for some \(z \in Z^\times\), and \(\text{cor} (z \cup [C]) = 0\) in \(H^3(k)/A\) (here \(\text{cor}\) is the corestriction from \(Z\) to \(k\)). An inverse to these results is given when \(A\) has degree at most \(6\): If \(A\) is split by \(Z\), then \(\lambda \in k^{\times}\) is a multiplier iff \(\lambda \cup d = 0\) and \(\lambda \cup \gamma = 0\) as above. If \(A\) is not split by \(Z\), then \(\lambda \in k^\times\) is a multiplier iff \(\lambda = \text{Norm}_{Z/k}(z)\) for \(z\) for which \(\text{cor} (z \cup [C]) = 0\). A complete description of the multipliers is also given when \(k[\sqrt{-1}]\) has cohomological dimension at most \(2\) and \(A\) is split by \(Z\). The proofs are elegant and informative, making use of the theory of quadratic forms and their invariants.