Orders that are étale-locally isomorphic

Abstract

Let $R$ be a semilocal Dedekind domain with fraction field $F$. We show that two hereditary $R$-orders in central simple $F$-algebras which become isomorphic after tensoring with $F$ and with some faithfully flat etale $R$-algebra are isomorphic. On the other hand, this fails for hereditary orders with involution. The latter stands in contrast to a result of the first two authors, who proved this statement for hermitian forms over hereditary $R$-orders with involution. The results can be restated by means of etale cohomology and can be seen as variations of the Grothendieck--Serre conjecture on principal homogeneous bundles of reductive group schemes. Connections with Bruhat--Tits theory are also discussed.