Frobenius groups and retract rationality (Q2437469)

Let \(k\subset K\) be an extension of fields. \(K\) is rational over \(k\) (for short, \(k\)-rational) if \(K\) is purely transcendental over \(k\). When \(k\) is an infinite field, \(K\) is said to be retract \(k\)-rational if there is a \(k\)-algebra \(A\) contained in \(K\) such that (i) \(K\) is the quotient field of \(A\), (ii) there exist a non-zero polynomial \(f\in k[X_1,\dots, X_n]\) (where \(k[X_1,\dots, X_n]\) is the polynomial ring) and \(k\)-algebra morphisms \(\phi : A\to k[X_1,\dots, X_n][1/ f ]\) and \(\psi : k[X_1,\dots, X_n][1/ f ]\to A\) satisfying \(\psi\circ\phi = 1_A\). Let \(G\) be a finite group acting on the rational function field \(k(x_g : g\in G)\) by \(k\)-automorphisms so that \(g\cdot x_h = x_{gh}\) for any \(g, h\in G\). Denote by \(k(G)\) the fixed field \(k(x_g : g\in G)^G\). The article under review studies the retract rationality problem for Frobenius groups. A finite group \(G\) is called a Frobenius group if \(G = N\rtimes G_0\) where \(N\) and \(G_0\) are non-trivial subgroups of \(G\) satisfying (i) \(N\) is a normal subgroup of \(G\), and (ii) the action of \(G_0\) on \(N\) is fixed point free, i.e. for any \(x\in N\setminus\{1\}\), any \(g\in G_0\setminus\{1\}, gxg^{-1}\neq x\). The author proves that if \(G\) is a Frobenius group with abelian Frobenius kernel, then \(k(G)\) is retract \(k\)-rational for any field \(k\) satisfying some conditions regarding the characteristic of \(k\) and the presence of certain roots of unity in \(k\). As an application, he also shows that for any algebraic number field \(k\) and for any Frobenius group \(G\) with Frobenius complement isomorphic to \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb F_5)\), there is a Galois extension field \(K\) over \(k\) whose Galois group is isomorphic to \(G\).