On the Frobenius stable part of Witt vector cohomology (Q1938420): Difference between revisions

This paper is of interest to those studying number theory and algebraic geometry. It studies a generalization of some classical trace formulas relating the action of Frobenius on the cohomology of certain sheaves to the cardinality of the set \(X(k)\) for \(k\) a finite field. A typical application of a trace formula is to compute the cardinality of \(X(k)\) modulo \(p\) by knowing the cohomology of the structure sheaf \(\mathcal{O}_X\). Let \(q=p^a\) and \(F\) be the morphism \(F(f) = f^q\). If \(X\) is a proper scheme over \(k\) then Katz gives the trace formula \[ \sum_{i \geq 0} (-1)^i \mathrm{Tr}(F: H^i(X,\mathcal{O}_X) \rightarrow H^i(X,\mathcal{O}_X)) \equiv \mathrm{Card}(X(k)) \text{ mod }p. \] Bloch-Illusie and Berthelot-Bloch-Esnault give another trace formula \[ \sum_{i \geq 0} (-1)^i \mathrm{Tr}(F: H^i(X,W\mathcal{O}_X)_{\mathbb{Q}} \rightarrow H^i(X,W\mathcal{O}_X)_{\mathbb{Q}}) \equiv \mathrm{Card}(X(k)) \text{ mod }q \] where \(W\mathcal{O}_X\) is the sheaf of Witt vectors on \(X\). The first main result of the paper under review is a refinement of these trace formulas to the length \(n\) Witt vectors \(W_n(\mathcal{O}_X)\). If for all \(i\), \(H^i(X, W_n \mathcal{O}_X)\) is a free \(W_n(k)\) module then \[ \sum_{i \geq 0} (-1)^i \mathrm{Tr}(F: H^i(X,W_n\mathcal{O}_X) \rightarrow H^i(X,W_n\mathcal{O}_X)) \equiv \mathrm{Card}(X(k)) \text{ mod }\min\{q, p^n\}. \] The second main result of the paper under review is a result on the vanishing of cohomology. If \(k\) is a perfect field, \(X\) is an affine Cohen-Macaulay \(k\)-scheme and equidimensional of dimension \(d\) then \[ H^i_c(X, \mathcal{O}_X)_s = 0 \] for all \(i \neq d\) where \(H^i_c(X, \mathcal{O}_X)_s\) are the Frobenius stable cohomology groups. The reviewed manuscript contains a very nice account of the relationship of Frobenius stable cohomology to rigid cohomology and étale cohomology. For example, the conclusion of the second main result implies that in this setting \[ H^i_{\acute{e}t, c}(X \times_k \overline{k}, \mathbb{Z}/p) =0 \text{ for all } i \neq d. \]