Proposition. Schur elimination multiplies quadratic center characters [fdip-0044]

For an enriched rational object, write its relative precision in the specified orthogonal splitting as \[Q=\begin {pmatrix}A&B\\B^\dagger &C\end {pmatrix}, \qquad S=A-BC^{-1}B^\dagger .\] The positive elimination theorem gives invertible positive \(C,S\). The adjoint uses the restricted reference pairings \(g_{0,\mathrm {ret}},g_{0,\mathrm {el}}\). Define the two rank-two forms \[\begin {aligned} q_S(x)&=g_{0,\mathrm {ret}}(x,Sx),\\ q_C(y)&=g_{0,\mathrm {el}}(y,Cy). \end {aligned}\] Their signed discriminants and associated quadratic Galois characters satisfy \[\delta (q)=\delta (q_S)\delta (q_C),\qquad \chi _q=\chi _{q_S}\chi _{q_C}.\] Multiplication of the \(\{1,-1\}\)-valued characters is their tensor product. It retains the eliminated character as well as the retained one.

The construction respects the declared arrows. If \(T=T_{\mathrm {ret}}\oplus T_{\mathrm {el}}\) preserves the pairing, action and splitting, the identity \(Q'T=TQ\) gives \[\begin {aligned} C'T_{\mathrm {el}}&=T_{\mathrm {el}}C,\\ B'T_{\mathrm {el}}&=T_{\mathrm {ret}}B,\\ (B')^\dagger T_{\mathrm {ret}}&=T_{\mathrm {el}}B^\dagger . \end {aligned}\] Inversion of the first relation and substitution in the Schur formula yield \(S'T_{\mathrm {ret}}=T_{\mathrm {ret}}S\). The restricted maps consequently preserve \(q_C,q_S\) and both reference pairings. The retained data inherit \(m^2\); they carry no further splitting unless one is supplied. Thus this naturality statement does not make elimination an endofunctor on the already split rank-4 objects. A retained trace ratio uses \(L_{\mathrm {rel,ret}}=S-m^2I\), with the same trace formula.

The lower bound \(S\geq m^2I\) is inherited. Indeed, for \(y_*=-C^{-1}B^\dagger x\), square completion and \(Q\geq m^2I\) give \[\begin {aligned} g_{0,\mathrm {ret}}(x,Sx)&=q(x,y_*)\\ &\geq m^2\bigl (\|x\|^2+\|y_*\|^2\bigr )\\ &\geq m^2\|x\|^2, \end {aligned}\] where the norms use the restricted reference pairings. Thus \(L_{\mathrm {rel,ret}}\geq 0\). Its trace must still be assumed nonzero for the retained ratio to be defined. For example, with counting pairing and the first summand retained, \[Q=\operatorname {diag}(m^2I_2,(m^2+1)I_2)\] has \(\operatorname {tr}(Q-m^2I)=2\), but \(S=m^2I_2\) and \(L_{\mathrm {rel,ret}}=0\). The full trace-ratio domain is therefore not inherited.

The triangular form isometry generally does not preserve \(g_0\). Nor does its graph map \[j_Q(x)=(x,-C^{-1}B^\dagger x)\] preserve the reference pairing: its pulled-back value is \[\begin {aligned} g_0(j_Qx,j_Qx')&=g_{0,\mathrm {ret}}(x,x')\\ &\quad +g_{0,\mathrm {el}}(Kx,Kx'). \end {aligned}\] It is a form isometry \(q(j_Qx)=q_S(x)\) into the full space, not an enriched isomorphism. Clifford functoriality gives an algebra embedding: after square completion it is the inclusion of the Clifford algebra of an orthogonal summand, injective on its monomial basis. But this embedding need not carry even centers into the full even center. In an orthogonal basis adapted to \(q_S\perp q_C\), the retained volume \(e_1e_2\) anticommutes with the even element \(e_1f_1\), where \(f_1\) is an eliminated nonisotropic generator. Both products are nonzero, and characteristic is zero; so this central element of the retained even algebra is not central in the full even algebra.

Primitive Dirichlet representatives must be taken after multiplying Galois characters. They are not in general the pointwise product of the zero-extended functions on integers. At \(t=1\), the cycle Schur computation has \(\det Q=45\), \(\det S=5\) and \(C=3I_2\). The three signed square classes are \([5],[-5],[-1]\), with fundamental discriminants \(5,-20,-4\). The Galois product is \(\chi _5\), but \[\chi _{-20}(2)\chi _{-4}(2)=0,\qquad \chi _5(2)=-1.\] The last value follows from \(\chi _D(2)=(-1)^{(D^2-1)/8}\) for odd fundamental \(D\), as in Brian Conrad's [conradQuadraticCharacters, Corollary 3.1, p. 4]. On integers coprime to 20 the product agrees with \(\chi _5\); passing to its primitive representative restores the prime-two value. No multiplication rule for the corresponding L-functions follows from the character law. Mathlib's DirichletCharacter.primitiveCharacter and DirichletCharacter.primitiveCharacter_apply_of_isCoprime separate primitive reduction from evaluation: agreement is asserted at integers coprime to the original level, which does not include the prime two in this example.