Local-global principles for constant reductive groups over semi-global fields

Abstract: We study local-global principles for torsors under reductive linear algebraic groups over semi-global fields; i.e., over one variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. We provide conditions on the group and the semiglobal field under which the local-global principle holds, and we compute the obstruction to the local-global principle in certain classes of examples. Using our description of the obstruction, we give the first example of a semisimple simply connected group over a semi-global field where the local-global principle fails. Our methods include patching and R-equivalence.