Some group actions on K(x₁,x₂,x₃)

Separable extensions, Galois theory (12F10) Transcendental field extensions (12F20) Rationality questions in algebraic geometry (14E08) Group actions on varieties or schemes (quotients) (14L30) Linear algebraic groups over arbitrary fields (20G15)

Review text

The main object of the paper under review is \(F=K(x_1,x_2,x_3)^{\left<\sigma\right>}\), the field of invariants of a purely transcendental extension \(K(x_1,x_2,x_3)\) of degree 3 of an arbitrary field \(K\) with respect to a fractional-linear action of a \(K\)-automorphism \(\sigma\): \(x_i \mapsto (a_ix_i+b_i)/(c_ix_i+d_i)\), where \(a_id_i-b_ic_i\neq 0\), \(i=1,2,3\). The author's goal is to provide a criterion for the extension \(F/K\) to be rational (= purely transcendental) in terms of the ``characteristic polynomials \(f_i(T)=T^2-(a_i+d_i)T+(a_id_i-b_ic_i)\) of the matrices \(\sigma_i=\left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_i & b_i \\ c_i & d_i \end{smallmatrix}\right)\). The main results are the following. If \(\text{char}(K)\neq 2\), then \(F/K\) is rational if and only if (i) for each \(1\leq i\leq 3\), \(f_i(T)\) is irreducible; (ii) the Galois group of \(f_1(T)f_2(T)f_3(T)\) over \(K\) is of order 8; (iii) for each \(1\leq i\leq 3\), the order of \(\sigma_i\) in \(\text{PGL}_2(K)\) is an even integer. Moreover, if \(F/K\) is not rational, it is not even retract rational. If \(\text{char}(K)=2\), then \(F/K\) is always rational except possibly the case where, for each \(1\leq i\leq 3\), \(f_i(T)\) is irreducible and is of the form \(T^2-a_i\). These results can be viewed as a generalization of [\textit{D. J. Saltman}, A nonrational field, answering a question of Hajja. Algebra and number theory. Proceedings of a conference, Fez, Morocco. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker. Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 208, 263--271 (2000; Zbl 0977.12005)]. The proof is based on reducing to the case where \(F\) can be represented in the form \(L(z_1,z_2,z_3)^G\), where \(G\), the Galois group of the splitting field \(L\) of the polynomial \(f_1(T)f_2(T)f_3(T)\) over \(K\), acts linearly on the \(z_i\)'s. In that case \(F\) is isomorphic to \(K(S)\), the field of rational functions of a certain algebraic \(K\)-torus \(S\) split over \(L\), and the author can use birational classification of algebraic tori of small dimensions, in particular, results of the reviewer [Sel. Math. Sov. 9, 1--21 (1990; Zbl 0707.14036)].

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