Available online xxxx Communicated by Louis Rowen MSC: 16W10 16W25 16K20 11E39 Keywords: Central simple algebra Involution Quaternion algebra Frobenius algebra Bilinear and quadratic form Pfister formA necessary and sufficient condition for a central simple algebra with involution over a field of characteristic two to be decomposable as a tensor product of quaternion algebras with involution, in terms of its Frobenius subalgebras, is given. It is also proved that a bilinear Pfister form, recently introduced by A. Dolphin, can classify totally decomposable central simple algebras of orthogonal type.

We investigate the quadratic descent of totally decomposable algebras with involution of orthogonal type in characteristic two. Both separable and inseparable extensions are included.

Quadratic descent of hermitian and skew hermitian forms over division algebras with involution of the first kind in arbitrary characteristic is investigated and a criterion, in terms of systems of quadratic forms, is obtained. A refined result is also obtained for hermitian (resp. skew hermitian) forms over a quaternion algebra with symplectic (resp. orthogonal) involution.

We associate to every central simple algebra with involution of orthogonal type in characteristic two a totally singular quadratic form which reflects certain anisotropy properties of the involution. It is shown that this quadratic form can be used to classify totally decomposable algebras with orthogonal involution. Also, using this form, a criterion is obtained for an orthogonal involution on a split algebra to be conjugated to the transpose involution.

A system of quadratic forms is associated to every generalised quadratic form over a division algebra with involution of the first kind in characteristic two. It is shown that this system determines the isotropy behaviour and the isometry class of generalised quadratic forms. An application of this construction to the Witt index of generalised quadratic forms is also given.