The Arithmetic of Wq(R)

Overview

The primary purpose of this chapter is the analysis of the group Wq(R) in the case of an arithmetic Dedekind domain R. The characterization of the elements of Br(R)₂ as the Brauer classes of Clifford algebras of quadratic spaces over R of rank 4 and trivial Arf invariant is an important step along the way. The quadratic spaces which it provides make it possible to describe Ker Arf by use of the total signature. In the special case where R is the ring of integers in a number field, the quadratic group Qu(R) is closely related to the ideal class group, and this connection together with the description of Ker Arf implies that Wq(R) ≅ Cl(R)₂ ⊕ G, where C1(R) is the ideal class group of R and G is a free Abelian group of rank with r the number of real embeddings of the number field. An additional focus is the comparison of the number theory of Wq(R) with that of W(R) and the structure of the quotient W(R)/Wq(R).