Biquaternion algebras, chain lemma and symbol length (Q6095328)

A ``chain lemma'' is the claim that one can adjust any presentation of an object by a given collection of legal moves, to any other presentation of the same object. In characteristic not \(2\), a chain lemma by \textit{A. S. Sivatski} [J. Algebra 350, No. 1, 170--173 (2012; Zbl 1253.16020)] for biquaternion algebras was used by \textit{A. Chapman} [St. Petersbg. Math. J. 34, No. 4, 715--720 (2023; Zbl 1524.19004)] to bound the \(2^n\)-symbol length of algebras which have \(2^{n+1}\)-symbol length at most \(2\). This paper proves similar results in characteristic \(2\). (Other chain lemmas on biquaternion algebras, focusing on generators rather than presentations, were proven by \textit{A. Chapman} and \textit{U. Vishne} [Isr. J. Math. 197, 409--423 (2013; Zbl 1285.16018)]). Let \(F\) be a field of characteristic \(2\). Let \(A\) be a central simple algebra of degree \(4\) and exponent \(2\) over \(F\). Considering all the decompositions of \(A\) into a tensor product of two quaternion algebras, declare the legal moves to be \([a,b) \otimes [c,d) \mapsto [a+c,b) \otimes [c,bd)\) (type I) and \([a,b) \otimes [c,d) \mapsto [a,b(a+c)) \otimes [c,d(a+c))\) (type II). The authors show that any two presentations of \(A\) are connected by a chain of at most three moves, of types (I,II,I), or a subchain thereof. The proof relies on a clever usage of the theory of quadratic forms in characteristic \(2\). As a consequence, it is proved that (in characteristic \(2\)) an algebra of exponent \(2^{n}\) which has symbol length \(3\) or \(4\) with respect to symbols of degree \(2^{n+1}\), has symbol length at most \(9\) or \(32\) in terms of symbols of degree \(2^n\), respectively.