Arithmetic of Hermitian forms (Q2517772)

Consider a quadratic extension \(K\) of an algebraic number field \(F\), a vector space \(V\) over \(K\) of dimension \(n\), and a non-degenerate hermitian form \(\varphi:V\times V\to K\) with respect to the nontrivial automorphism \(n\) of \(K\) over \(F\). Denote by \(d_0(\varphi)\) the coset of \(F^\times/N_{K/F}(K^\times)\) represented by \(\det(\varphi)\). It is classically known that \(n\), \(d_0(\varphi)\) and the indices of \(\varphi\) at certain archimedean primes of \(F\), satisfying a natural consistency condition determine the isomorphism class of \((V,\varphi)\) and vice versa. This classification does not answer, however the question of classification over the ring of integers. Here the problem of classification of \(\varphi\) over the ring of integers has been investigated. Further let \(\text{U}^\varphi(V)\) and \(\text{SU}^\varphi(V)\) denote the unitary group and the special unitary group of \(\varphi\), defined as subgroups of \(\text{GL}(V,K)\). Let \(\tau\) be the ring of integers in \(K\). Take a \(\tau\)-lattice \(L\) in \(V\) and put \(\Gamma(L)= \{\alpha\in U^\varphi(V)\mid L_\alpha= L\}\), \(\Gamma^1(L)= \Gamma(L)\cap SU^\varphi(V)\). Then it is proved that for a fixed \(q\in F^\times\), the set \(\{h\in V\mid\varphi(h)= q\}\) modulo \(\Gamma^1(L)\) is a finite set for \(n> 1\) and a similar result by replacing \(F\), \(K\), \((V,\varphi)\) and \(L\) by their localizations at a non-archimedean prime and by defining an obvious analogue of \(\Gamma^1(L)\). The same is true for the problem about the solution \(\xi\) of the equation \(\xi\varphi'\xi^\varphi= \psi\), where J\(\psi\) is of size \(m\), and \(\xi\) belongs to a \(\tau\)-lattice in the space of \((m\times n)\)-matrices with entries in \(K\), where \(m\) is a positive integer \(<n\). The analogues of these for quadratic forms and orthogonal groups have already been proved.