Theorem. The algebraic Spin extension [meinrenken2013clifford, Definition 3.2, pp. 51--52] [fcap-001D]
Theorem. The algebraic Spin extension [meinrenken2013clifford, Definition 3.2, pp. 51--52] [fcap-001D]
Let \(K\) be a characteristic-zero field, let \(V\) be finite-dimensional,
and let its bilinear form be nondegenerate. Meinrenken defines Spin as the
even part of the norm-one Clifford group. Its kernel is the scalar pair. If
the Spin action is surjective, these data form the group extension
\[1\longrightarrow (\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z)_{\mathrm {mult}}
\longrightarrow \operatorname {Spin}(Q)\longrightarrow SO(Q)\longrightarrow 1.\]
The left map sends the nontrivial class to \(-1\); the right map is the Spin
action. TauCeti packages this generic construction from an explicit
surjectivity proof. The group-extension constructor used in that package is
GroupExtension.ofMulEquivKer.
Meinrenken warns that the map to \(SO(V)\) need not be surjective over a general field; it is surjective when every element of \(K\) has a square root, because lifts can then be rescaled to have norm one. TauCeti separates this issue explicitly. Its generic construction assumes a field, a nontrivial finite-dimensional module, invertible \(2\), a nondegenerate quadratic form, and a supplied surjectivity proof. Over a separably closed field, Theorem [fcap-001B] supplies that proof and yields the specialized extension.