Rationally trivial Hermitian spaces are locally trivial (Q5947782)

The main result of this paper is the following : Let \(R\) be a regular local ring containing a field of characteristic \(\neq 2\) and with field of fractions \(K\), let \(A\) be an Azumaya algebra with involution over \(R\), and let \({\mathbf h}\) be an \(\epsilon\)-hermitian space over \(A\). If the hermitian form \({\mathbf h}\otimes_R K\) over the algebra \(A\otimes_R K\) is hyperbolic, then the hermitian form \({\mathbf h}\) over \(A\) is already hyperbolic. This result is motivated by Grothendieck's conjecture that, for any reductive group scheme \(G\) over a regular local ring \(R\), rationally trivial \(G\)-homogeneous spaces are trivial. In the case of constant \(G\) (i.e. when \(R\) is an essentially smooth local \(k\)-algebra and \(G\) is defined over \(k\)) this is known to be true for infinite \(k\) by work of \textit{M. S. Raghunathan} [Invent. Math. 116, 409--423 (1994; Zbl 0807.14012)]. If \(G\) is nonconstant, only the cases where \(G\) is a torus (Colliot-Thélène and Sansuc) or \(G=SL_1(D)\), the norm one elements of an Azumaya \(R\)-algebra \(D\) (Panin and Suslin) are known. The above result in the present paper concerns the case where \(G\) is the unitary group \(U^{\epsilon}_{2n}\) and its proof is inspired by work of Voevodsky. The main result is first shown when \(R\) is an essentially smooth local algebra over an infinite field of characteristic \(\neq 2\), and the general case follows by applying Popescu's theorem [see \textit{D. Popescu}, Nagoya Math. J. 100, 97--126 (1985; Zbl 0561.14008); 104, 85--115 (1986; Zbl 0592.14014); 118, 45--53 (1990; Zbl 0685.14009)]. An important ingredient in the proof is a non-degenerate trace form for finite extensions of smooth algebras whose definition and main properties are given in the last two sections of the article.