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In mathematics, the universal invariant or u-invariant of a field describes the structure of quadratic forms over the field.

The universal invariant u(F) of a field F is the largest dimension of an anisotropic quadratic space over F, or ∞ if this does not exist. Since formally real fields have anisotropic quadratic forms (sums of squares) in every dimension, the invariant is only of interest for other fields. An equivalent formulation is that u is the smallest number such that every form of dimension greater than u is isotropic, or that every form of dimension at least u is universal.

Examples

For the complex numbers, u(C) = 1.
If F is quadratically closed then u(F) = 1.
The function field of an algebraic curve over an algebraically closed field has u ≤ 2; this follows from Tsen's theorem that such a field is quasi-algebraically closed.^[1]
If F is a non-real global or local field, or more generally a linked field, then u(F) = 1, 2, 4 or 8.^[2]

Properties

If F is not formally real and the characteristic of F is not 2 then u(F) is at most $q(F)=\left|{F^{\star }/F^{\star 2}}\right|$ , the index of the squares in the multiplicative group of F.^[3]
u(F) cannot take the values 3, 5, or 7.^[4] Fields exist with u = 6^[5]^[6] and u = 9.^[7]
Merkurjev has shown that every even integer occurs as the value of u(F) for some F.^[8]^[9]
Alexander Vishik proved that there are fields with u-invariant $2^{r}+1$ for all $r>3$ .^[10]
The u-invariant is bounded under finite-degree field extensions. If E/F is a field extension of degree n then

u(E)\leq {\frac {n+1}{2}}u(F)\ .

In the case of quadratic extensions, the u-invariant is bounded by

u(F)-2\leq u(E)\leq {\frac {3}{2}}u(F)\

and all values in this range are achieved.^[11]

The general u-invariant

Since the u-invariant is of little interest in the case of formally real fields, we define a general u-invariant to be the maximum dimension of an anisotropic form in the torsion subgroup of the Witt ring of F, or ∞ if this does not exist.^[12] For non-formally-real fields, the Witt ring is torsion, so this agrees with the previous definition.^[13] For a formally real field, the general u-invariant is either even or ∞.

Properties

u(F) ≤ 1 if and only if F is a Pythagorean field.^[13]

References

^ Lam (2005) p.376
^ Lam (2005) p.406
^ Lam (2005) p. 400
^ Lam (2005) p. 401
^ Lam (2005) p.484
^ Lam, T.Y. (1989). "Fields of u-invariant 6 after A. Merkurjev". Ring theory 1989. In honor of S. A. Amitsur, Proc. Symp. and Workshop, Jerusalem 1988/89. Israel Math. Conf. Proc. Vol. 1. pp. 12–30. Zbl 0683.10018.
^ Izhboldin, Oleg T. (2001). "Fields of u-Invariant 9". Annals of Mathematics. Second Series. 154 (3): 529–587. doi:10.2307/3062141. JSTOR 3062141. Zbl 0998.11015.
^ Lam (2005) p. 402
^ Elman, Karpenko, Merkurjev (2008) p. 170
^ Vishik, Alexander (2009). "Fields of u-invariant $2^{r}+1$ ". Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry. Progress in Mathematics. Birkhäuser Boston. doi:10.1007/978-0-8176-4747-6_22.
^ Mináč, Ján; Wadsworth, Adrian R. (1995). "The u-invariant for algebraic extensions". In Rosenberg, Alex (ed.). K-theory and algebraic geometry: connections with quadratic forms and division algebras. Summer Research Institute on quadratic forms and division algebras, July 6-24, 1992, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (USA). Proc. Symp. Pure Math. Vol. 58. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society. pp. 333–358. Zbl 0824.11018.
^ Lam (2005) p. 409
^ ^a ^b Lam (2005) p. 410

Lam, Tsit-Yuen (2005). Introduction to Quadratic Forms over Fields. Graduate Studies in Mathematics. Vol. 67. American Mathematical Society. ISBN 0-8218-1095-2. MR 2104929. Zbl 1068.11023.
Rajwade, A. R. (1993). Squares. London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series. Vol. 171. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42668-5. Zbl 0785.11022.
Elman, Richard; Karpenko, Nikita; Merkurjev, Alexander (2008). The algebraic and geometric theory of quadratic forms. American Mathematical Society Colloquium Publications. Vol. 56. American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI. ISBN 978-0-8218-4329-1.

[Lam376-1] Lam (2005) p.376

[Lam406-2] Lam (2005) p.406

[Lam400-3] Lam (2005) p. 400

[Lam401-4] Lam (2005) p. 401

[Lam484-5] Lam (2005) p.484

[Lam1989-6] Lam, T.Y. (1989). "Fields of u-invariant 6 after A. Merkurjev". Ring theory 1989. In honor of S. A. Amitsur, Proc. Symp. and Workshop, Jerusalem 1988/89. Israel Math. Conf. Proc. Vol. 1. pp. 12–30. Zbl 0683.10018.

[7] Izhboldin, Oleg T. (2001). "Fields of u-Invariant 9". Annals of Mathematics. Second Series. 154 (3): 529–587. doi:10.2307/3062141. JSTOR 3062141. Zbl 0998.11015.

[Lam402-8] Lam (2005) p. 402

[ELM170-9] Elman, Karpenko, Merkurjev (2008) p. 170

[10] Vishik, Alexander (2009). "Fields of u-invariant $2^{r}+1$ ". Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry. Progress in Mathematics. Birkhäuser Boston. doi:10.1007/978-0-8176-4747-6_22.

[11] Mináč, Ján; Wadsworth, Adrian R. (1995). "The u-invariant for algebraic extensions". In Rosenberg, Alex (ed.). K-theory and algebraic geometry: connections with quadratic forms and division algebras. Summer Research Institute on quadratic forms and division algebras, July 6-24, 1992, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (USA). Proc. Symp. Pure Math. Vol. 58. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society. pp. 333–358. Zbl 0824.11018.

[Lam409-12] Lam (2005) p. 409

[Lam410-13] Lam (2005) p. 410

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{DISPLAYTITLE:''u''-invariant}}
-In mathematics, the '''universal invariant''' or '''''u''-invariant''' of a [[field (mathematics)|field]] describes the structure of [[quadratic form]]s over the field.
+In [[mathematics]], the '''universal invariant''' or '''''u''-invariant''' of a [[field (mathematics)|field]] describes the structure of [[quadratic form]]s over the field.
 The universal invariant ''u''(''F'') of a field ''F'' is the largest dimension of an [[anisotropic quadratic space]] over ''F'', or ∞ if this does not exist.  Since [[formally real field]]s have anisotropic quadratic forms (sums of squares) in every dimension, the invariant is only of interest for other fields.  An equivalent formulation is that ''u'' is the smallest number such that every form of dimension greater than ''u'' is [[Isotropic quadratic form|isotropic]], or that every form of dimension at least ''u'' is [[Universal quadratic form|universal]].
 ==Examples==
-* For the complex numbers, ''u''('''C''') = 1.
+* For the [[complex number]]s, ''u''('''C''') = 1.
 * If ''F'' is [[Quadratically closed field|quadratically closed]] then ''u''(''F'') = 1.
 * The function field of an [[algebraic curve]] over an [[algebraically closed field]] has ''u'' ≤ 2; this follows from [[Tsen's theorem]] that such a field is [[quasi-algebraically closed]].<ref name=Lam376>Lam (2005) p.376</ref>
-* If ''F'' is a nonreal [[global field|global]] or [[local field]], or more generally a [[linked field]], then ''u''(''F'') = 1,2,4 or 8.<ref name=Lam406>Lam (2005) p.406</ref>
+* If ''F'' is a non-real [[global field|global]] or [[local field]], or more generally a [[linked field]], then ''u''(''F'') = 1, 2, 4 or 8.<ref name=Lam406>Lam (2005) p.406</ref>
 ==Properties==
-* If ''F'' is not formally real then ''u''(''F'') is at most <math>q(F) = \left|{F^\star / F^{\star2}}\right|</math>, the index of the squares in the multiplicative group of ''F''.<ref name=Lam400>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;400</ref>
+* If ''F'' is not formally real and the characteristic of ''F'' is not ''2'' then ''u''(''F'') is at most <math>q(F) = \left|{F^\star / F^{\star2}}\right|</math>, the index of the squares in the multiplicative [[group (mathematics)|group]] of ''F''.<ref name=Lam400>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;400</ref>
-* ''u''(''F'') cannot take the values 3, 5, or 7.<ref name=Lam401>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;401</ref>  Fields exist with ''u''&nbsp;=&nbsp;6<ref name=Lam484>Lam (2005) p.484</ref><ref name=Lam1989>{{cite book | last=Lam | first=T.Y. | authorlink=Tsit Yuen Lam | chapter=Fields of u-invariant 6 after A. Merkurjev | zbl=0683.10018 | title=Ring theory 1989. In honor of S. A. Amitsur, Proc. Symp. and Workshop, Jerusalem 1988/89 | series=Israel Math. Conf. Proc. | volume=1 | pages=12–30 | year=1989 }}</ref> and ''u''&nbsp;=&nbsp;9.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Fields of u-Invariant 9 | first=Oleg T. | last=Izhboldin | journal=Annals of Mathematics |series=Second Series | volume=154 | number=3 | year=2001 | pages=529–587 | jstor=3062141 | zbl=0998.11015 }}</ref>
+* ''u''(''F'') cannot take the values 3, 5, or 7.<ref name=Lam401>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;401</ref>  Fields exist with ''u''&nbsp;=&nbsp;6<ref name=Lam484>Lam (2005) p.484</ref><ref name=Lam1989>{{cite book | last=Lam | first=T.Y. | authorlink=Tsit Yuen Lam | chapter=Fields of u-invariant 6 after A. Merkurjev | zbl=0683.10018 | title=Ring theory 1989. In honor of S. A. Amitsur, Proc. Symp. and Workshop, Jerusalem 1988/89 | series=Israel Math. Conf. Proc. | volume=1 | pages=12–30 | year=1989 }}</ref> and ''u''&nbsp;=&nbsp;9.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Fields of u-Invariant 9 | first=Oleg T. | last=Izhboldin |authorlink1=Oleg Izhboldin| journal=Annals of Mathematics |series=Second Series | volume=154 | number=3 | year=2001 | pages=529–587 | doi=10.2307/3062141 | jstor=3062141 | zbl=0998.11015 }}</ref>
-* [[Alexander Merkurjev|Merkurjev]] has shown that every even integer occurs as the value of ''u''(''F'') for some ''F''.<ref name=Lam402>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;402</ref><ref name=ELM170>Elman, Karpenko, Merkurjev (2008) p.&nbsp;170</ref>
+* [[Alexander Merkurjev|Merkurjev]] has shown that every [[parity (mathematics)|even]] integer occurs as the value of ''u''(''F'') for some ''F''.<ref name=Lam402>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;402</ref><ref name=ELM170>Elman, Karpenko, Merkurjev (2008) p.&nbsp;170</ref>
+* [[Alexander Vishik]] proved that there are fields with ''u''-invariant <math>2^r+1</math> for all <math>r > 3</math>.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Vishik | first=Alexander | title=Fields of ''u''-invariant <math>2^r+1</math> | year=2009 | doi = 10.1007/978-0-8176-4747-6_22 | journal = Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry. Progress in Mathematics | publisher=Birkhäuser Boston}}</ref>
-* The ''u''-invariant is bounded under finite-degree [[field extension]]s.  If ''E''/''F'' is a field extension of degree ''n'' then
+* The ''u''-invariant is bounded under finite-[[Degree of a field extension|degree]] [[field extension]]s.  If ''E''/''F'' is a field extension of degree ''n'' then
-:<math>u(E) \le \frac{n+1}{2} u(F) \ . </math>
+::<math>u(E) \le \frac{n+1}{2} u(F) \ . </math>
 In the case of quadratic extensions, the ''u''-invariant is bounded by
 :<math>u(F) - 2 \le u(E) \le \frac{3}{2} u(F) \ </math>
-and all values in this range are achieved.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Mináč | first1=Ján | last2=Wadsworth | first2=Adrian R. | chapter=The u-invariant for algebraic extensions | zbl=0824.11018 | editor1-first=Alex  | editor1-last=Rosenberg|editor1-link=Alex F. T. W. Rosenberg | title=K-theory and algebraic geometry: connections with quadratic forms and division algebras. Summer Research Institute on quadratic forms and division algebras, July 6-24, 1992, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (USA) | location=Providence, RI | publisher=[[American Mathematical Society]] | series=Proc. Symp. Pure Math. | volume=58.2 | pages=333–358 | year=1995 }}</ref>
+and all values in this range are achieved.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Mináč | first1=Ján | last2=Wadsworth | first2=Adrian R. | chapter=The u-invariant for algebraic extensions | zbl=0824.11018 | editor1-first=Alex  | editor1-last=Rosenberg|editor1-link=Alex F. T. W. Rosenberg | title=K-theory and algebraic geometry: connections with quadratic forms and division algebras. Summer Research Institute on quadratic forms and division algebras, July 6-24, 1992, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (USA) | location=Providence, RI | publisher=[[American Mathematical Society]] | series=Proc. Symp. Pure Math. | volume=58 | pages=333–358 | year=1995 | issue=2 }}</ref>
 ==The general ''u''-invariant==
-Since the ''u''-invariant is of little interest in the case of formally real fields, we define a '''general''' '''''u''-invariant''' to be the maximum dimension of an anisotropic form in the [[torsion subgroup]] of the [[Witt ring (forms)|Witt ring]] of '''F''', or ∞ if this does exist.<ref name=Lam409>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;409</ref>  For non-formally real fields, the Witt ring is torsion, so this agrees with the previous definition.<ref name=Lam410>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;410</ref>  For a formally real field, the general ''u''-invariant is either even or ∞.
+Since the ''u''-invariant is of little interest in the case of formally real fields, we define a '''general''' '''''u''-invariant''' to be the maximum dimension of an anisotropic form in the [[torsion subgroup]] of the [[Witt ring (forms)|Witt ring]] of '''F''', or ∞ if this does not exist.<ref name=Lam409>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;409</ref>  For non-formally-real fields, the Witt ring is torsion, so this agrees with the previous definition.<ref name=Lam410>Lam (2005) p.&nbsp;410</ref>  For a formally real field, the general ''u''-invariant is either even or ∞.
 ===Properties===
-* ''u''(''F'') ≤ 1 if and only if ''F'' is a [[Pythagorean field]].<ref name=Lam410/>
+* ''u''(''F'') ≤&thinsp;1 if and only if ''F'' is a [[Pythagorean field]].<ref name=Lam410/>
 ==References==
@@ Line 32: / Line 33: @@
 * {{cite book | title=The algebraic and geometric theory of quadratic forms | volume=56 | series=American Mathematical Society Colloquium Publications | first1=Richard | last1=Elman | first2=Nikita | last2=Karpenko | first3=Alexander | last3=Merkurjev | publisher=American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-8218-4329-1 }}
-[[Category:Field theory]]
+[[Category:Field (mathematics)]]
 [[Category:Quadratic forms]]