Chain lemma, quadratic forms and symbol length (Q6179255)

Let \(F\) be a field, \(F \sp {\ast }\) its multiplicative group, Br\((F)\) the Brauer group of \(F\), and for any integer \(r > 0\), let \(\sb r\mathrm{Br}(F)\) be the group \(\{b \in\mathrm{Br}(F)\colon rb = 0\}\). Suppose that \(F\) contains a primitive \(r\)-th root of unity \(\rho \), for some \(r\) (not divisible by char\((F)\)). Then, by the Merkurjev-Suslin theorem (see [\textit{A. S. Merkur'ev} and \textit{A. A. Suslin}, Math. USSR, Izv. 21, 307--340 (1983; Zbl 0525.18008); translation from Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 46, No. 5, 1011--1046 (1982)]), \(\sb r\mathrm{Br}(F)\) is generated by the (Brauer) equivalence classes of cyclic \(F\)-algebras of degree \(r\). In view of Kummer theory, such a cyclic algebra is in fact a symbol \(F\)-algebra \((\alpha , \beta ) \sb {r,F} = F \langle i, j\colon i \sp r = \alpha , j \sp r = \beta , ji = \rho ij \rangle \), for some \(\alpha , \beta \in F \sp {\ast }\). Assuming that \(r = p \sp m\), for some prime \(p\) and an integer \(m \ge 2\), and taking into account that the symbol algebras \((\alpha \sp 2, \beta ) \sb {(r/p),F}\) and \((\alpha \sp p, \beta ) \sb {r,F}\) are Brauer equivalent (see Sect. 15.1 of \textit{R. S. Pierce} [Associative algebras. New York-Heidelberg-Berlin: Springer-Verlag (1982; Zbl 0497.16001)], one obtains that elements of \(\sb {r/p}\mathrm{Br}(F)\) are sums of equivalence classes of symbol \(F\)-algebras of degree \(r\). Conversely, the paper under review considers the question of finding the minimal number of symbol algebras of degree \(r/p\), needed to express a given element \(\tilde b \in \sb {(r/p)}\mathrm{Br}(F)\), that is presentable as the sum of the equivalence classes of \(q = q(\tilde b)\) symbol algebras of degree \(r\) (i.e., to find the symbol length of \(\tilde b\) in \(\sb {(r/p)}\mathrm{Br}(F)\)). The authors restrict to the special case of \(p = 2\). It is known (see [\textit{J. P. Tignol}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 89, 587--588 (1983; Zbl 0558.16008)]) that symbol \(F\)-algebras of degree \(2 \sp m\) and exponent dividing \(2 \sp {m-1}\) are equivalent to symbol \(F\)-algebras of degree \(2 \sp {m-1}\), or to tensor products of two \(F\)-algebras of this kind. The main results of the present paper show that, in cases \(q(\tilde b) = 5\) and \(q(\tilde b) = 6\), the symbol length of \(\tilde b\) in \(\sb {2^{m-1}}\mathrm{Br}(F)\) is less than or equal to \(200\) and \(362\), respectively. Upper bounds for the symbol length of \(\tilde b\) in \(\sb {2^{m-1}}\mathrm{Br}(F)\) have recently been obtained (in: [\textit{A. Chapman}, St. Petersbg. Math. J. 34, No. 4, 715--720 (2023; Zbl 1524.19004)]) in cases \(q(\tilde b) = 2, 3, 4\); these are \(5\), \(15\) and \(46\), respectively. To prove the main results of the reviewed paper, the authors apply the chain lemma for quadratic forms and then translate it back to algebras, using a generalized Clifford invariant, Pfister's description of \(12\)-dimensional forms in \(I \sp 3(F)\) (see [\textit{A. Pfister}, Invent. Math. 1, 116--132 (1966; Zbl 0142.27203)]) and Rost's description of \(14\)-dimensional forms in \(I \sp 3F\).