Witt equivalence of function fields of conics

Abstract

Two fields are Witt equivalent if, roughly speaking, they have the same quadratic form theory. Formally, that is to say that their Witt rings of symmetric bilinear forms are isomorphic. This equivalence is well understood only in a few rather specific classes of fields. Two such classes, namely function fields over global fields and function fields of curves over local fields, were investigated by the authors in their earlier works [5] and [6]. In the present work, which can be viewed as a sequel to the earlier papers, we discuss the previously obtained results in the specific case of function fields of conic sections, and apply them to provide a few theorems of a somewhat quantitive flavour shedding some light on the question of numbers of Witt non-equivalent classes of such fields.