Quadratic forms and quadrics of space over local rings (Q1948584)

Let \(R\) be a local ring with principal and nilpotent maximal ideal. Under some additional assumptions on units and sums of squares of units in \(R\) a complicated formula has been found by \textit{V. M. Levchuk} and \textit{O. A. Starikova} [Sb. Math. 197, No. 6, 887--899 (2006); translation from Mat. Sb. 197, No. 6, 97--110 (2006; Zbl 1156.11016)] for the number of projectively congruent quadrics of the projective space \(RP_{n-1}\) depending on \(n\) and \(s\), the nilpotency degree of the maximal ideal of \(R\). Then \textit{G. P. Egorychev} and \textit{E. V. Zima} [Commun. Algebra 36, No. 4, 1426--1436 (2008; Zbl 1161.05304)] used analytic methods to simplify the formula and asked for an algebraic proof of the final formula. This is supplied by the present author in the first part of the paper. The second part deals with the enumeration of projectively congruent quadrics in case when the maximal ideal in \(R\) is not principal. The case when \(R = F[[x,y]]/(x^2,xy,y^2)\), where \(F\) is a field with two square classes and char \(F \neq 2\), was considered earlier by \textit{V. M. Levchuk} and \textit{O. A. Starikova} [J. Math. Sci., New York 152, No. 4, 558--570 (2008); translation from Fundam. Prikl. Mat. 13, No. 1, 161--178 (2007; Zbl 1180.11011)]. Here the author considers the case of non-diagonalizable quadrics of rank \(0\) in \(RP_2\) and shows that depending on additional assumptions on units in \(R\) there are \(4\) or \(5\) classes represented by explicitly given matrices.