Real fields, valuations, and quadratic forms

Quadratic forms over general fields (11E04) Forms over real fields (11E10) Algebraic theory of quadratic forms; Witt groups and rings (11E81) Fields related with sums of squares (formally real fields, Pythagorean fields, etc.) (12D15) Transcendental field extensions (12F20) Valued fields (12J10)

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Let \(K\) be a field of characteristic not \(2\), and let \(\sum K^2\) denote the set of nonzero sums of squares in \(K\). In this article, the authors continue their study of field invariants pertaining to quadratic forms and sums of squares, and relationships among them. The results are mainly of interest in the case of real fields. The Pythagoras number \(p(K)\) is defined to be the least positive integer \(n\) such that each element in \(\sum K^2\) is a sum of at most \(n\) squares, or \(\infty\) if no such \(n\) exists. The \(u\)-invariant \(u(K)\) is the supremum of the dimensions of anisotropic quadratic forms over \(K\) whose Witt classes are in \(W_tK\), the torsion part of the Witt ring \(WK\) of \(K\). The length \(\ell(K)\) is the least positive integer \(n\) (or \(\infty\) if no such \(n\) exists) such that each totally positive definite \(n\)-dimensional form over \(K\) represents all of \(\sum K^2\). If \(IK\) denotes the fundamental ideal of classes of even-dimensional forms in \(WK\), one puts \(I^nK=(IK)^n\) and \(I_t^nK=I^nK\cap W_tK\). One has \((I_tK)^n\subset I_t^nK\), but equality need not hold for \(n\geq 2\). The authors introduce the invariants \(\alpha(K)\) and \(\beta(K)\), defined by the supremum of all \(n\) with \(I_t^nK\neq 0\) and \((I_tK)^n\neq 0\), respectively. So in particular \(\alpha(K)\geq \beta(K)\). Finally, the authors consider the stability index \(st(K)\), which, according to a result by \textit{L. Bröcker} [Math. Z. 151, 149--163 (1976; Zbl 0319.12102)], can be characterized by the formula \(st(K)=\inf\{ r\in\mathbb{N}\,|\, I^{r+1}K=2I^rK+I_t^{r+1}K\}\). In the present paper, the authors develop various valuation-theoretic techniques that are then applied to (rational) function fields to obtain results on these invariants for such function fields. Let \(K\) be a real field and let \(F=K(X)\) be the rational function field in one variable over \(K\). They show that \(\alpha(F)=\beta(F)=\alpha(F(\sqrt{-1}))= \sup\{ n\in\mathbb{N}\,|\,(I_tK)^n\neq I_t^nK\}\), and that if \(\pm\sum K^2\subsetneq K^{\times}\), then \((I_tF)^2\subsetneq I_t^2F\). For a finitely generated extension \(F\) of transcendence degree \(n\) over a real closed field \(R\), they show that \(\alpha(F)=\beta(F)=n(=st(F)\) if \(F\) is real), \(u(F)=\ell(F)=2\) for \(n=1\), and \(2^n\leq\ell(F)\leq 2^n(2^{n-1}-1)\) and \(2^n\leq u(F)\leq 2^{n+2}-2n-6\) for \(n\geq 2\). Finally, if \(m\leq n\) and \(F=R(\!(t_1)\!)\ldots (\!(t_{m-1})\!)(t_m)(\!(t_{m+1})\!)\ldots (\!(t_n)\!)\), then \(p(F)=2\), \(\beta(F)=m\), \(\ell(F)=2^m\), \(\alpha(F)= \alpha(F(\sqrt{-1}))=st(F)=n\), \(u(F)=u(F(\sqrt{-1}))=2^n\).

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