General Theory
For an arbitrary field K, the Brauer group may be expressed in terms of Galois cohomology as follows:
Here, Ks is the separable closure of K, which coincides with the algebraic closure when K is a perfect field.
A generalisation of the Brauer group to the case of commutative rings by M. Auslander and O. Goldman, and more generally to schemes, was introduced by Alexander Grothendieck. In their approach, central simple algebras over a field are replaced with Azumaya algebras.
Read more about this topic: Brauer Group
Famous quotes containing the words general and/or theory:
“The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of ones country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.”
—Primo Levi (19191987)
“The theory of rights enables us to rise and overthrow obstacles, but not to found a strong and lasting accord between all the elements which compose the nation.”
—Giuseppe Mazzini (18051872)