Pythagoras numbers of fields |
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Authors: | Detlev W Hoffmann |
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Institution: | Equipe de Mathématiques de Besançon, UMR 6623 du CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16, Route de Gray, F-25030 Besançon Cedex, France |
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Abstract: | A field of characteristic is said to have finite Pythagoras number if there exists an integer such that each nonzero sum of squares in can be written as a sum of squares, in which case the Pythagoras number of is defined to be the least such integer. As a consequence of Pfister's results on the level of fields, of a nonformally real field is always of the form or , and all integers of such type can be realized as Pythagoras numbers of nonformally real fields. Prestel showed that values of the form , , and can always be realized as Pythagoras numbers of formally real fields. We will show that in fact to every integer there exists a formally real field with . As a refinement, we will show that if and are integers such that , then there exists a uniquely ordered field with and (resp. ), where (resp. ) denotes the supremum of the dimensions of anisotropic forms over which are torsion in the Witt ring of (resp. which are indefinite with respect to each ordering on ). |
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Keywords: | Quadratic forms sums of squares formally real fields Pythagoras number $u$-invariant Hasse number |
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