Algebras of odd degree with involution, trace forms and dihedral extensions (Q677414)

Let \(B\) be central simple algebra over \(K\) and let \(\sigma\) be an involution the second kind on \(B\). Denote by \(F\) the fixed field of \(\sigma\) and by \(B=(B,\sigma)_+\) the \(F\)-space of symmetric elements of \(B\). The aim of the paper is to study the quadratic form \(Q=Q_\sigma\) on \(B\), which to any \((x,y)\in B^2\) associates \(\text{Trd}(xy)\in F\), where Trd denotes the reduced trace. After a general study of \(Q\) for algebras of arbitrary odd degree, the authors restrict to central simple algebras of degree 3. In this case, if \(L\) is a cubic étale \(F\)-subalgebra of \(B\), then \(B\) decomposes as \(B=L\perp V\) and the restriction of \(Q\) to \(V\) may explicitly be described using a construction essentially due to Springer. The form \(Q_\sigma\) is shown to determine \(\sigma\) (up to conjugation), and thus yields a very elegant parametrization of all involutions of the second kind on a central simple algebra of degree 3, which fix a specified separable subalgebra. The involution \(\sigma\) may also be completely determined by a certain 3-fold Pfister form \(\pi(B,\sigma)\) associated to \(Q_\sigma\), whose properties are studied in detail, with particular emphasis on the hyperbolic case. In a final section, the authors study subfields with dihedral Galois group in central simple algebras of arbitrary odd degree and with involution of the second kind. This is applied to obtain alternative proofs of previous results, as well as to generalize a result of Rowen and Saltman's, proving that a dihedral algebra of degree \(2(2k+1)\) is cyclic if a quadratic extension of \(F\) contains a primitive \(2k+1\)-st root of 1. Another surprising application is the description of a complete set of cohomological invariants for algebras of degree 3 with involution of the second kind.