Decomposition of algebras with involution in characteristic 2 (Q387385)

In this paper, decompositions of Hermitian forms and of algebras with involution are studied and the notion of direct Hermitian forms and algebras with involution is introduced. The results mainly concern fields of characteristic 2, since the situation in characteristic \(\neq 2\) is well understood. Let \((D,\theta)\) be a division algebra with involution over some field \(F\) and let \(\eta\) be a \(\lambda\)-Hermitian form over \((D,\theta)\), where \(\lambda\) is a central element of \(D\) satisfying \(\lambda\theta(\lambda)=1\). There is a well known decomposition of \(\eta\) into an orthogonal direct sum \(\eta \simeq \phi \perp \rho\) where \(\phi\) is anisotropic and \(\rho\) is \textit{metabolic} (i.e., an orthogonal direct sum of \(2\)-dimensional \(\lambda\)-Hermitian forms \(\theta(x)a_iy+\lambda\theta(x') y + \theta(x)y'\) for some \(a_i\in D\) with \(\lambda\theta(a_i)=a_i\)). Here \(\phi\) is uniquely determined (up to isometry), whereas \(\rho\) is in general only uniquely determined in characteristic \(\neq 2\), where it is hyperbolic. The first main result of the paper concerns the case where \(\eta\) is anisotropic. It states that \(\eta\) can then be uniquely decomposed as \[ \eta\simeq \phi \perp \psi, \] where \(\phi\) is a \textit{direct} \(\lambda\)-Hermitian form and \(\psi\) is an \textit{even} \(\lambda\)-Hermitian form. Here \(\phi\) is called direct if the equation \(\phi(x,x)= a - \lambda \theta(a)\) has only the trivial solution and \(\psi\) is called even if the equation \(\psi(x,x)=a + \lambda \theta(a)\) can be solved for every fixed \(x\). Hence in the general case \(\eta\) can be decomposed as \(\eta\simeq \eta_{\mathrm{dir}} \perp \eta_{\mathrm{ev}} \perp \rho\) with uniquely determined direct \(\eta_{\mathrm{dir}}\) and even \(\eta_{\mathrm{ev}}\) and with (not necessarily unique) metabolic \(\rho\). In the second main result of the paper, the involution \(\theta\) is assumed to be of the first kind and \(\mathrm{char}(F)=2\) (implying \(\lambda=1\)). It says that the above decomposition of \(\eta\) can be refined to a decomposition of the form \[ \eta\simeq \eta_{\mathrm{dir}} \perp \eta_{\mathrm{ev}} \perp \mathbb{M}(\tilde{\eta}) \perp n\times \mathbb{H}, \] where \(\eta_{\mathrm{dir}}\) and \(\eta_{\mathrm{ev}}\) are the direct resp. even part of \(\eta\) like above, \(\tilde{\eta}\) is some Hermitian form, \(\mathbb{M}(\tilde{\eta}):=\tilde{\eta} \perp -\tilde{\eta}\), \(\mathbb{H}\) is the hyperbolic plane and \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) is unique. Moreover \(\eta_{\mathrm{dir}}\perp \tilde{\eta}\) is direct and the orthogonal sum \(\eta_{\mathrm{dir}}\perp \mathbb{M}(\tilde{\eta})\) is also unique (up to isometry). This result generalizes the decomposition for bilinear forms over fields of characteristic 2 from [\textit{A. Laghribi} and \textit{P. Mammone}, Contemp. Math. 493, 249--269 (2009; Zbl 1229.11059)]. The above results are applied to get orthogonal decompositions of algebras with involution. An \(F\)-algebra with involution \((A,\sigma)\) is called \textit{direct}, if there does not exist \(a\in A\setminus \{0\}\) such that \(\sigma(a)a\) is alternating with respect to \(\sigma\). It is shown that for \((A,\sigma)\) adjoint to a Hermitian form \(\eta\) as above, then \((A,\sigma)\) is direct if and only if \(\eta\) is direct. Moreover, if \(\mathrm{char}(F)=2\) and \(\sigma\) is of the first kind, then \((A,\sigma)\) decomposes into an orthogonal sum of a direct part \((A,\sigma)_{\mathrm{dir}}\), an even part \((A,\sigma)_{\mathrm{ev}}\) and a (not necessarily unique) metabolic part. It is then shown that if \(L/F\) is a separable field extension that splits \(A\), then \(((A,\sigma)_{\mathrm{dir}})_L\) is the anisotropic part of \((A,\sigma)_L\). This means that if \((A,\sigma)_L\) is adjoint to a symmetric bilinear form \(b\), then \(((A,\sigma)_{\mathrm{dir}})_L\) is adjoint to the anisotropic part \(b_{\mathrm{an}}\) of \(b\).