Unramified Brauer group of homogeneous spaces of tori

Abstract: Let k be a field, X a smooth, projective k-variety. If X is geometrically rational, there is an injective map from the quotient of Brauer groups Br(X)/Br(k) into the first Galois cohomology group of the lattice given by the geometric Picard group. In this note, where the main attention is on smooth compactifications of homogeneous spaces of algebraic k-tori, we show how under some hypotheses the map is onto, and how one may in some special case exhibit concrete generators in Br(X). This is applied to the analysis of counterexamples to the local-global principle for norms in biquadratic extensions of number fields.

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Let \(k\) be a ground field of characteristic zero, \(X\) a smooth projective scheme with \(H^0(X,\mathcal{O}_X)=k\), and \(\bar{X}=X\otimes \bar{k}\) the induced scheme over the algebraic closure. The author studies the algebraic Brauer group \(\text{Br}_a(X)\) of all Brauer classes on \(X\) that vanish on \(\bar{X}\). This group sits in an exact sequence \[ 0\rightarrow\text{Pic}(X)\rightarrow \text{Pic}(\bar{X})^g\rightarrow \text{Br}(k)\rightarrow\text{Br}_a(X)\rightarrow H^1(k,\text{Pic}(\bar{X}))\rightarrow H^3(k,\mathbb{G}_m), \] and the author investigates surjectivity questions and lifting problems related to the map \(\text{Br}_a(X)\rightarrow H^1(k,\text{Pic}(\bar{X}))\). It is shown, for example, that surjectivity holds if \(X\) becomes a factor of some rational variety over some cyclic field extension \(k\subset K\). Then the author concentrates on certain classes of tori, especially those obtained by Weil restriction, their principal homogeneous spaces and smooth compactifications. The following situation is studied: Let \(Y\) be the torus defined by the affine equation \[ (x^2-ay^2)(z^2-bt^2)(u^2-abw^2) = c \] for some scalars \(a,b,c\in k^\times\), and \(Z\) be a smooth compactification. The author shows that \(\text{Br}(Z)/\text{Br}(k)\) is cyclic, and the class of the quaternion algebra \((x^2-ay^2,b)\) over the function field is unramified and generates this group.

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