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Take $B$ to be linear in its first argument and conjugate-linear in its second, with $\bar{a}=a^q$. For a Hermitian form over a quadratic finite field, $B(v,v)\in {\mathbb{F}}_q$. We first establish the quadratic finite-field norm and trace surjectivity needed for orthonormalization of a finite-field Hermitian form. The field norm $N(a)=a^{q+1}$ maps ${\mathbb{F}}_{q^2}^{\ast }$ onto ${\mathbb{F}}_q^{\ast }$ because the multiplicative group of a finite field is cyclic of order $q^2-1$. The field trace $\mathrm{Tr}(a)=a+a^q$ is an ${\mathbb{F}}_q$-linear map into ${\mathbb{F}}_q$. It is nonzero: a nonzero polynomial of degree $q$ cannot vanish at all $q^2$ elements. It is therefore onto, including in characteristic two.

There must be $v$ with $B(v,v)\ne 0$. Otherwise, for any $v,w,a$, expanding the diagonal value givesIf $B(v,w)\ne 0$, varying $a$ contradicts the surjectivity of the field trace. Thus all pairings would vanish, contrary to nondegeneracy. Choose $a$ with $N(a)=B(v,v{)}^{-1}$; then $v_1=av$ has norm one. Every $w$ decomposes uniquely asThe restricted Hermitian form over a quadratic finite field on the orthogonal complement for a sesquilinear form is nondegenerate: a vector there orthogonal to that complement is also orthogonal to $v_1$, hence to all of $V$, and is zero. Induction produces an orthonormal basis $v_1,\dots ,v_n$.

The unitary group over a finite field is the group of invertible ${\mathbb{F}}_{q^2}$-linear maps preserving $B$. In the orthonormal basis just constructed, its concise description isThe notation here uses the size of the matrix field; it is also frequently written $U_n(q)$. There is no determinant-one condition in this definition.