Thin Severi-Brauer varieties (Q635868)

Let \(F\) be a field, let \(F_s\) be a separable closure of \(F\) and let \(\Gamma=\mathrm{Gal}(F_s/F)\). A \textit{thin} \(\Gamma\)-projective space of dimension \(n-1\) is a finite \(\Gamma\)-set with \(n\) elements. A \textit{thin} \(\Gamma\)-quadric \((Y,\sigma)\) of dimension \(2(n-1)\) is a \(\Gamma\)-set with \(2n\) elements with an involution \(\sigma\) (i.e. a \(\Gamma\)-equivariant automorphism of order \(2\) without fixed points); cf. also \textit{J. Tits} [Buildings of spherical type and finite BN-pairs, Lecture Notes in Mathematics 386. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1974; Zbl 0295.20047)]. First objects correspond to étale \(F\)-algebras and the second ones correspond to étale \(F\)-algebras with an involution. The first purpose of this article is to study the equivariant embeddings of thin \(\Gamma\)-projective spaces in Severi-Brauer varieties. For thin \(\Gamma\)-quadrics, one studies their embeddings in \(\Gamma\)-quadrics associated with central simple algebras with quadratic pairs. Given an étale algebra with an involution, one can associate to it a Clifford algebra. In the second part of the article this construction is related to Clifford algebras for central simple algebras with quadratic pairs. The authors also give an interpretation of the fact that Dynkin diagrams for \(A_3\) and \(D_3\) are the same and they discuss the triality (i.e. outer automorphisms of order \(3\)) of \(D_4\).