Witt's extension theorem for quadratic spaces over semiperfect rings (Q494123)

The classical ``extension theorem'' of Witt states that any isometry between two subforms of a given quadratic form \(\varphi\) over a field extends to an isometry of \(\varphi\). The consequences of this theorem include the cancellation theorem for nonsingular quadratic forms and the fact that the isometry group of \(\varphi\) acts transitively on totally isotropic subforms of \(\varphi\). The main goal of this paper is to prove a similar statement on unimodular quadratic spaces \((P,[\beta])\) over unitary semiperfect rings: every isometry \((Q,[\beta]_Q) \rightarrow (S,[\beta]_S)\) between two (not necessarily orthogonal) summands \(Q\) and \(S\) of \(P\) extends to an isometry of \((P,[\beta])\). A ring \(A\) is semiperfect if there exist orthogonal idempontents \(e_1,\dots,e_n\) with \(\sum_{i=1}^n e_i=1\) such that \(e_i A e_i\) is local for each \(i \in \{1,\dots,n\}\). An anti-structure on \(A\) is a pair \((\sigma,u)\) where \(\sigma\) is an anti-automorphism of \(A\) and \(u \in A^\times\) is an element satisfying \(u^\sigma u=1\) and \(a^{\sigma \sigma}=u a u^{-1}\) for any \(a \in A\). Write \(\Lambda^{\min}=\{a-a^\sigma u : a \in A\}\) and \(\Lambda^{\max}=\{a \in A : a^\sigma u=-a\}\). A form parameter for \((A,\sigma,u)\) is an additive group \(\Lambda\) with \(\Lambda^{\min} \subseteq \Lambda \subseteq \Lambda^{\max}\) and \(a^\sigma \Lambda a \subseteq \Lambda\) for all \(a \in A\). A unitary ring is a ring \(A\) endowed with such an anti-structure \((\sigma,u)\) and a form parameter \(\Lambda\). A pair \((P,[\beta])\) is called a quadratic space over a unitary ring \(A\) if \(P\) is a right \(A\)-module \(P\) and \([\beta]\) is the class of the sesquilinear form \(\beta\) over \(P\) modulo \(\Lambda_P\) where \(\Lambda_p\) is the group of sesquilinear forms \(\gamma\) satisfying \(\gamma(x,y)=-\gamma(y,x) u^\sigma u\) and \(\gamma(x,x) \in \Lambda\) for any \(x,y \in P\). This notion was introduced in [\textit{A. Bak}, On modules with quadratic forms. Lect. Notes Math. 108, 55--66 (1969; Zbl 0192.37202)], and in the special case of a commutative ring \(A\), \(\sigma=\text{id}_A\), \(u=1\) and \(\Lambda=0\), it coincides with the classical definition of a quadratic space over a commutative ring. The paper contains also applications of the main theorem, such as cancellation theorems for (not necessarily unimodular) Hermitian forms over involutary valuation rings, systems of sesquilinear forms over involutary Henselian rings, and quadratic spaces over Hermitian categories (strengthening a result formerly obtained in [\textit{H. G. Quebbemann} et al., J. Algebra 59, 264--289 (1979; Zbl 0412.18016)]). The final section of the paper contains a description of the subgroup generated by reflections of the group of isometries of a unimodular quadratic space \((P,[\beta])\) over a unitary semiperfect ring using Dickson's invariant. In particular, it is shown that if this subgroup is nontrivial, it is of finite index.