Unipotent matrices, modulo elementary matrices, in \(\text{SL}_2\) over a coordinate ring (Q1265556): Difference between revisions

Let \(C\) be an absolutely connected, smooth, projective curve over a field \(k\), and \(P\) be one of its closed points. Let \({\mathcal C}={\mathcal C}(C,P,k)\) be the coordinate ring of the affine curve by removing \(P\) from \(C\). It is known that \(\mathcal C\) is a Dedekind domain. For an ideal \(\mathfrak q\) of \(\mathcal C\), let \(U_2({\mathcal C},{\mathfrak q})\) (resp., \(NE_2({\mathcal C},{\mathfrak q})\)) denote the subgroup (resp., normal subgroup) of \(\text{GL}_2({\mathcal C})\) generated by the unipotent (resp., elementary) matrices in \(\text{SL}_2({\mathcal C},{\mathfrak q})\). The paper describes the structure of the quotient group \(U_2({\mathcal C}{\mathfrak q})/NE_2({\mathcal C},{\mathfrak q})\) when \(\mathcal C\) has a finite ideal class group. A detailed study of the example \({\mathcal C}=\mathbb{R}[x,y:x^2+y^2=1]\) is given. All the results are based on a fundamental structure theorem on \(\text{GL}_2({\mathcal C})\) due to \textit{J.-P. Serre} [Trees, Springer (1980; Zbl 0548.20018)].