The behavior of singular quadratic forms under purely inseparable extensions (Q6169099)

The theory of quadratic forms over fields of characteristic 2 has a richer structural theory than the standard case of fields of characteristic not 2. A quadratic form $\varphi$ over such a field $F$ can be written up to isometry as $[a_1,b_1] \perp \dots \perp [a_m,b_m] \perp \langle c_1,\dots,c_n\rangle$ where each $[a_i,b_i]$ is the 2-dimensional form $ax_i^2+x_iy_i+by_i^2$ and $\langle c_1,\dots,c_n\rangle$ is the diagonal form $z_1^2+\dots+z_n^2$. The form is called nonsingular if $n=0$ and singular otherwise. It is totally singular if $m=0$, and semi-singular if $mn \neq 0$. The component $\langle c_1,\dots,c_n \rangle$ is called the quasi-linear part of $\varphi$ and denoted $\text{ql}(\varphi)$. Each form can be written uniquely as $\varphi_{an} \perp r \times [0,0] \perp \langle \underbrace{0,\dots,0}_{t \ \text{times}} \rangle$ where $\varphi_{an}$ is anisotropic. The Witt index $i_W(\varphi)$ is $r$, and defect index $i_d(\varphi)$ is $t$. The total index $i_t(\varphi)$ is $r+t$. A nonsingular form is hyperbolic if $i_W(\varphi)=\frac{1}{2} \dim \varphi$. A totally singular form is quasi-hyperbolic if $i_d(\varphi) \geq \frac{1}{2}\dim \varphi$. A semi-singular form is quasi-hyperbolic if $i_t(\varphi) \geq \frac{1}{2} \dim \varphi$, and strictly quasi-hyperbolic if $\text{ql}(\varphi)$ is quasi-hyperbolic and $i_W(\varphi)=\frac{1}{2}(\dim \varphi-\dim \text{ql}(\varphi))$. The goal of this paper is to study when a certain semi-singular form becomes strictly quasi-hyperbolic over a purely inseparable modular field extension. When $K$ is generated over $F$ by adjoining the $2^{n_k}$th of $\beta_k$ ($k \in \{1,\dots,\ell\}$), we denote by $\pi^{(K/F)}$ the quasi-Pfister form $\langle \! \langle \beta_1,\dots,\beta_\ell \rangle \! \rangle$. In Corollary 3.3 the authors prove that when $\varphi$ is anisotropic and totally singular, $\varphi_K$ is quasi-hyperbolic if and only if $\pi^{(K/F)}\otimes \varphi$ is quasi-hyperbolic. In Theorem 4.1 they prove that when $\varphi$ is semi-singular, $\varphi$ is strictly quasi-hyperbolic if and only if $\varphi \simeq \psi \perp \text{ql}(\varphi)$ where $\psi$ is a nonsingular form that becomes hyperbolic over $K$ and $\pi^{(K/F)} \otimes \text{ql}(\varphi)$ is quasi-hyperbolic. In Theorem 4.8 the authors provide a necessary and sufficient condition for a semi-singular form to have $i_W(\varphi_K)\geq m$.