Involutions of varieties and Rost's degree formula (Q1628524): Difference between revisions

Let $X$ be a smooth complete variety. The Segre number of $X$ is defined as $s_X= {\mathrm{deg}}\,c_{\mathrm{dim}X}(-T_X),$ where $c_{\mathrm{dim}X}$ is the highest Chern class and $T_X$ denotes the tangent bundle. The index $n_X$ is the g.c.d. of the degrees of the closed points of $X.$ The degree formula is the following relation in ${\mathbb Z}/2:$ \[ \frac{n_Y}{n_X}\cdot \frac{s_Y}{n_Y}={\deg}f \cdot \frac{s_X}{n_X} \,\, \mod 2, \] where $f: Y\rightarrow X$ is a rational of smooth complete connected varieties and $\deg f$ is defined to be zero when $f$ is not dominant and the degree of the function field extension otherwise. One can prove the degree formula in various ways [\textit{A. Merkurjev}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 565, 13--26 (2003; Zbl 1091.14006)], [\textit{M. Levine} and \textit{F. Morel}, Algebraic cobordism. Berlin: Springer (2007; Zbl 1188.14015)]. The author studies varieties with involution. He associates to each $G$-variety a cycle class $\mathcal{S}_Y$ in the Chow group of its fixed locus. This class mod $2$ is functorial and if one specializes to $X\times X$ and the action of $G$ by exchange, the class $\mathcal{S}_{X\times X}$ can be identified with the total Segre class $\mathrm{Sq}(X)\in \mathrm{CH}(X)$ of the tangent cone of $X.$ The degree formula is then nothing other but functoriality of $s_X$ of the component of degree zero of $\mathrm{Sq}(X)$. It is worth noting that the proof given by the author works in arbitrary characteristic. Moreover the class $\mathrm{Sq}(X)$ is expected to be the total homological Steenrod square of the fundamental class of $X$.