Essential dimension of Hermitian spaces (Q2655166)

The essential dimension of an algebraic variety \(X\) as introduced and studied by N. Karpenko, A. Merkurjev, Z. Reichstein and others is a birational invariant that measures its complexity via its fields of definition. In general, however, this invariant is hard to compute. Sometimes the essential dimension of an algebraic variety coincides with its usual dimension. In this case, the variety is called \textit{incompressible}. The present article provides new examples of incompressible varieties, namely Hermitian quadrics of dimension \(2^r-1\). Further, an explicit formula for the essential dimension of a Hermitian form as generalisation of the result of \textit{N. Karpenko} and \textit{A. Merkurjev} [Invent. Math. 153, No. 2, 361--372 (2003; Zbl 1032.11015)] is obtained. The article closes with a discussion of the relation with Higher forms of Rost motives of \textit{A. Vishik} [Lect. Notes Math. 1835, 25--101 (2004; Zbl 1047.11033)].