Clifford algebra of a polynomial. (Q1895837)

The author starts by reviewing the definition and basic properties of the Clifford algebra \(C = C(M,P)\) which arises from a suitable polynomial \(P\) defined on an \(A\)-module \(M\), where \(A\) is a commutative ring. He discusses the relationship between the exterior product \(\Lambda (M,d)\), \(d = \deg (P)\), and the graded algebra \(GrC\) associated to \(C\): there is a surjection from \(\Lambda (M,d)\) to \(GrC\) which is an isomorphism when \(M\) is free of finite rank but may not be an isomorphism otherwise, and he shows then that the centre of \(C\) comprises only scalars save in the three exceptional cases when the pair \((\text{rank} M,d)\) is \((1,d)\), \((n,2)\) or \((2,3)\). He then turns to explicit calculations. When \(P\) arises from a binary cubic form \(f\) and the ideal of \(A\) generated by 3 and two scalars associated to \(f\) is \(A\) itself, the centre \(Z\) of \(C\) can be described explicitly. When \(A\) has characteristic 3, \(Z\) is generated by a single element \(t\) and \(C \otimes Z [t^{-1}]\) is an Azumaya algebra of degree 9 over \(Z[t^{-1}]\). When \(f\) is nonsingular, \(C\) itself is Azumaya of degree 9 over \(Z\). If \textbf{2} is invertible in \(A\), a similar result holds when \(f\) has a double root, but not if it has a triple root. A final section extends these results to a more general form for \(P\).