Characteristic classes for \(\mathrm{GO}(2n)\) in étale cohomology (Q2377080)

Let \(\mathrm{GO}(n)\) denote the subgroup of \(\mathrm{GL}(n)\) consisting of matrices \(A\) such that \(A^t A = \lambda I_n\) for some nonzero scalar \(\lambda\). \textit{Y. I. Holla} and \textit{N. Nitsure} [Asian J. Math. 5, No. 1, 169--182 (2001; Zbl 1012.55022)] determined the mod 2 singular cohomology of \(\mathrm{BGO}(2n)\), the classifying space for \(\mathrm{GO}(2n)\). The paper under review generalizes this result to the case of the classifying stack of \(\mathrm{GO}(2n)\), viewed as an algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic different from 2. In other words, the smooth-étale cohomology with \(\mathbb{F}_2\) coefficients of the algebraic stack \(\mathrm{BGO}(2n)\) is determined. The key to the proof, which was also used in [loc. cit.], is the Gysin sequence associated to the \(\mathbb{G}_m\)-torsor \(BO(n) \to \mathrm{BGO}(n)\). Since the cohomology of \(\mathrm{BO}(n)\) is known, the author is able to compute the cohomology of \(\mathrm{BGO}(n)\).