Cohomological obstruction theory for Brauer classes and the period-index problem

Let U be a connected scheme of finite cohomological dimension in which every finite set of points is contained in an affine open subscheme. Suppose that alpha is a class in H^2(U_et,Gm)_{tors}. For each positive integer m, the K-theory of alpha-twisted sheaves is used to identify obstructions to alpha being representable by an Azumaya algebra of rank m^2. The etale index of alpha, denoted eti(alpha), is the least positive integer such that all the obstructions vanish. Let per(alpha) be the order of alpha in H^2(U_{et},Gm)_{tors}. Methods from stable homotopy theory give an upper bound on the etale index that depends on the period of alpha and the etale cohomological dimension of U; this bound is expressed in terms of the exponents of the stable homotopy groups of spheres and the exponents of the stable homotopy groups of B(Z/per(alpha)). As a corollary, if U is the spectrum of a field of finite cohomological dimension d, then eti(alpha) divides per(alpha)^[d/2], where [d/2] is the integer part of d/2, whenever per(alpha) is divided neither by the characteristic of k nor by any primes that are small relative to d.

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