No label defined (Q4239692)

Let \(K\) be a number field with ring of integers \({\mathcal O}_K\). The aim of the present paper is to establish the structure of the Witt group \(W{\mathcal O}_K\) by explicitly determining its cyclic direct summands and generators of each such summand. This is achieved by a careful analysis using classical methods from algebraic number theory as well as various results by \textit{P. Shastri} [J. Number Theory 30, 243-266 (1988; Zbl 0651.10014)] and from the book by \textit{J. Milnor} and \textit{D. Husemoller} [Symmetric bilinear forms (Springer, Berlin) (1973; Zbl 0292.10016)]. The generators of the cyclic summands are given in terms of \(1\)-dimensional, binary, and \(2\)-fold Pfister forms. These results are applied to quadratic number fields \(K\) and \(L\) leading to necessary and sufficient conditions for the Witt rings \(W{\mathcal O}_K\) and \(W{\mathcal O}_L\) to be strongly isomorphic (where ``strongly'' means respecting anisotropy of quadratic forms). The paper concludes with the determination of \(W{\mathcal O}_K\) for some cubic and biquadratic number fields \(K\).