Noncyclic division algebras over fields of Brauer dimension one (Q2307471)

Let \(K\) be a field with non-trivial Brauer group and let \(\alpha\) be an element of the Brauer group of \(K\). Wedderburn's Theorem implies that there is a unique central division algebra \(D\) representing \(\alpha\); \(\mathrm{ind}(\alpha)\) is the square root of the dimension of \(D\); \(\mathrm{per}(\alpha)\), the order of \(\alpha\) in the Brauer group, is a divisor of \(\mathrm{ind}(\alpha)\). The Brauer dimension of \(K\) is the smallest integer \(d\) such that \(\mathrm{ind}(\alpha)\) divides \(\mathrm{per}(\alpha)^d\) for every \(\alpha\). In particular, the Brauer dimension of \(K\) is one ind and per coincide, or, equivalently, every \(\alpha\) is represented by a central simple algebra of dimension \(\mathrm{per}(\alpha)^2\). The cyclic length of \(K\) is the smallest integer \(l\) such that every \(\alpha\) can be represented by a tensor product of \(l\) cyclic central simple algebras of dimension \(\mathrm{per}(\alpha)^2\). The cyclic length is one. It is easy to show that the cyclic length is greater than or equal to the Brauer dimension. The Brauer dimension and the cyclic length of a local or global field are both equal to one. The main result of the present paper is that the Brauer dimension and the cyclic length are not equal in general. It is shown that the Brauer dimension of \(\mathbb{Q}_2((t))\) is one, while its cyclic length is two. This follows from the three following results. \begin{enumerate} \item A complete discretely valued field of rank one with residue field \(\mathbb{Q}_p\) has Brauer dimension one and cyclic length at most two. \item If \(K\) is a complete discretely valued field with residue field \(\mathbb{Q}_2\), then there exist noncyclic division algebras over \(K\) of degree \(2^k\), for every \(k\geq 2\). \item Let \(D\) be a division algebra over complete discretely valued field with residue field \(\mathbb{Q}_p\). If \(\mathrm{ind}(D)\) is odd, or \(p\) is odd, then \(D\) is cyclic. \end{enumerate}