An upper bound on the essential dimension of a central simple algebra. (Q549998)

Let \(k\) be a base field, and let \(G\) be an algebraic group over \(k\). Let \(T\) be a \(G\)-torsor defined over \(K/k\). The `essential dimension' \(\text{ed}(T)\) is defined as the minimum of the transcendence degrees of \(K_0\) such that \(T\) descends to \(K_0\). The essential dimension of \(G\) is defined to be the supremum of all \(\text{ed}(T)\) where \(T\) runs over all \(G\)-torsors over all fields \(K/k\). For a prime \(p\), one can define the essential dimension at \(p\) of a \(G\)-torsor \(T\) as the minimum of \(\text{ed}(T_L)\) for \(L/K\) a prime-to-\(p\) extension. It is denoted \(\text{ed}(T;p)\). The essential dimension at \(p\) of \(G\) is defined to be the supremum of all \(\text{ed}(T;p)\) where \(T\) runs over all \(G\)-torsors over all fields \(K/k\). The calculation of \(\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_n)\) is an open problem. A related problem is the calculation of \(\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_n;p)\). If \(p^s\) is the largest power of \(p\) dividing \(n\), it can be shown that \(\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_n;p)=\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_{p^s};p)\). Hence it is sufficient to compute the latter. In an earlier paper [Algebra Number Theory 3, No. 4, 467-487 (2009; Zbl 1222.11056)], the authors had shown that \(\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_{p^s};p)\leq p^{2s-1}-p^s+1\). In the present paper, using methods of lattices with finite group actions, they prove a stronger upper bound; namely that \(\text{ed}(\text{PGL}_{p^s};p)\leq 2p^{2s-2}-p^s+1\). They do this by reducing the statement to an upper bound on the essential dimension of a central simple algebra \(A\) over a field \(K\) containing a Galois extension \(F/K\). It must be noted that \textit{A. S. Merkurjev} proved [in J. Am. Math. Soc. 23, No. 3, 693-712 (2010; Zbl 1231.20048)] that this is an equality if \(s=2\).