Splitting fields and separability

Abstract

It is a classical result that if ( R , M ) (R,\mathfrak {M}) is a complete discrete valuation ring with quotient field K K , and if R / M R/\mathfrak {M} is perfect, then any finite dimensional central simple K K -algebra Σ \Sigma can be split by a field L L which is an unramified extension of K K . Here we prove that if ( R , M ) (R,\mathfrak {M}) is any regular local ring, and if Σ \Sigma contains an R R -order Λ \Lambda whose global dimension is finite and such that Λ / Rad ⁡ Λ \Lambda /\operatorname {Rad} \Lambda is central simple over R / M R/\mathfrak {M} , then the existence of an “ R R -unramified” splitting field L L for Σ \Sigma implies that Λ \Lambda is R R -separable. Using this theorem we construct an example which shows that if R R is a regular local ring of dimension greater than one, and if its characteristic is not 2, then there is a central division algebra over K K which has no R R -unramified splitting field.