No label defined (Q4518772)

This review also concerns the preceding item Zbl 0977.16008. Extending three of his previous papers [Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 58, Part 1, 189-246 (1995; Zbl 0827.13003), J. Algebra 195, No. 2, 387-422, 423-464 (1997; Zbl 0937.12002, Zbl 0974.12011)], the author in the first paper under review studies the Brauer group of a multiplicative invariant field \(F(M)^G\). Let \(F\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0, let \(\mu\equiv\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}\) be the roots of unity in \(F\), let \(G\) be a finite group, let \(M\) be a \(\mu\)-extension over \(G\), that is, a \(G\)-module that fits into an exact sequence \[ 0\to\mu\to M\to M'\to 0 \] where \(M'\) is torsion-free. Then \(F(M)\) is the field of fractions of the group ring \(F[M']\) and comes with a \(G\)-action [see \textit{D. J. Saltman}, J. Algebra 133, No. 2, 533-544 (1990; Zbl 0729.13006)] whose subfield of invariants is \(F(M)^G\). In [J. Algebra 195, 387-422 (op. cit.)] the author obtained an exact sequence \[ 0\to\text{Br}(F(M))\to\sum_{q\in{\mathcal P}} X(\overline R_q)\to\sum_{c\in{\mathcal C}}\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z} \] for the Brauer group \(\text{Br}(F(M))\), where \(\mathcal{P,C}\) are sets of certain height 1, resp. height 2 primes, and \(X(\overline R_q)\) is the group of characters on the (absolute Galois group of the) residue field \(\overline R_q\). The main result here is that if \(F(M)/F(M)^G\) is unramified in codimension 2, then the Brauer group \(\text{Br}(F(M)^G)\) sits in a complex \[ 0\to\text{Br}(F(M)^G)\to\sum_{p\in{\mathcal P}/G}X(\overline R_p/p)\to\sum_{c\in{\mathcal C}/G}\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z} \] whose homology is described in terms of the cohomology of \(G\) and \(M\). As a non-trivial and important application of the first paper, the author in the second paper under review gives a description of the Brauer group of the fields that arise as the centers of generic division algebras. There is an \(S_n\)-lattice \(Y\) so that the center \(Z(F,r,n)\) of the generic division algebra of degree \(n\) in \(r\) variables is rational over \(F(Y)^{S_n}\) (\(S_n=\) symmetric group). Using that fact, the main result of the first paper yields a complex \[ 0\to\text{Br}(Z(F,n,r))\to\sum_{p\in{\mathcal P}/S_n} X(\overline R_p/p)\to\sum_{c\in{\mathcal C}/S_n}\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z} \] whose homology involves cohomology groups of \(S_n\). This paper obtains detailed information on these cohomology groups, which implies that the homology at \(\text{Br}(Z(F,n,r))\) is isomorphic to a subgroup of \(H^2(S_n,\mu)\), and the homology at \(\sum_{p\in{\mathcal P}/S_n} X(\overline R_p/p)\) is, up to a copy of \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\), isomorphic to a subgroup of \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\oplus H^3(S_n,\mu)\) with only 2- and 3-primary components. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0928.00029].