Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 May 2009
Let K be a field of characteristic different from 2, and a, b quadratically independent elements of K. Put J= K(√a, √b). In [4], Jensen and Yui discuss the question of quaternionic (Q8) extensions of J, and give a survey of known results. In [8], Ware discusses (among other things) some general conditions for, and relations between, the existence of Q8 and D4 (dihedral) extensions of K. A general theorem of Witt [9] says that J will have a quaternionic extension J(√u) if and only if there exists a 3 × 3 matrix P over K such that PPt = diag(a, b, 1/ab), and an appropriate value for u is given in terms of the entries of P. The problem of actually finding P in a particular case is not trivial.