In mathematics, the Brauer–Wall group or super Brauer group or graded Brauer group for a field F is a group BW(F) classifying finite-dimensional graded central division algebras over the field. It was first defined by Terry Wall (1964) as a generalization of the Brauer group.
The Brauer group of a field F is the set of the similarity classes of finite dimensional central simple algebras over F under the operation of tensor product, where two algebras are called similar if the commutants of their simple modules are isomorphic. Every similarity class contains a unique division algebra, so the elements of the Brauer group can also be identified with isomorphism classes of finite dimensional central division algebras. The analogous construction for Z/2Z-graded algebras defines the Brauer–Wall group BW(F).
The Brauer group B(F) injects into BW(F) by mapping a CSA A to the graded algebra which is A in grade zero.Wall (1964, theorem 3) showed that there is an exact sequencewhere Q(
F) is the group of graded quadratic extensions of
F, defined as an extension of
Z/2 by
F*/
F*2 with multiplication (
e,
x)(
f,
y) = (
e +
f, (−1)
efxy). The map from BW(
F) to Q(
F) is the
Clifford invariant defined by mapping an algebra to the pair consisting of its grade and determinant.
There is a map from the additive group of the Witt–Grothendieck ring to the Brauer–Wall group obtained by sending a quadratic space to its Clifford algebra. The map factors through the Witt group, which has kernel I3, where I is the fundamental ideal of W(F).BW(C) is isomorphic to Z/2Z. This is an algebraic aspect of Bott periodicity of period 2 for the unitary group. The 2 super division algebras are C, C[γ] where γ is an odd element of square 1 commuting with C.BW(R) is isomorphic to Z/8Z. This is an algebraic aspect of Bott periodicity of period 8 for the orthogonal group. The 8 super division algebras are R, R[ε], C[ε], H[δ], H, H[ε], C[δ], R[δ] where δ and ε are odd elements of square –1 and 1, such that conjugation by them on complex numbers is complex conjugation. 