Mapping cones in the bounded derived category of a gentle algebra (Q2417796): Difference between revisions

Derived categories provide a common framework for homological algebra in subjects such as algebra, geometry and mathematical physics. In representation theory, derived categories are the natural setting for tilting theory of finite dimensional algebras [\textit{D. Happel}, Triangulated categories in the representation theory of finite dimensional algebras. Cambridge (UK) etc.: Cambridge University Press (1988; Zbl 0635.16017)]. Thus understanding the structure of derived categories and their properties is an important problem. However, owing to their complexity, in general, this is difficult to achieve. Therefore in the cases, where this is achievable, it is of great value to obtain as much detailed knowledge of the derived category as possible. Gentle algebras first arose in the setting of tilting theory in the classification of iterated tilted algebras of type A and type \(\widetilde{A}\) in [\textit{I. Assem} and \textit{D. Happel}, Commun. Algebra 9, 2101--2125 (1981; Zbl 0481.16009)] and [\textit{I. Assem} and \textit{A. Skowroński}, Math. Z. 195, 269--290 (1987; Zbl 0601.16022)], respectively. They now play an important role in many areas of mathematics: in algebra, they occur in cluster theory as Jacobian algebras associated to surface triangulations [\textit{I. Assem} et al., Algebra Number Theory 4, No. 2, 201--229 (2010; Zbl 1242.16011)], and in recent advances in invariant theory [\textit{A. T. Carroll} and \textit{C. Chindris}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 367, No. 5, 3481--3508 (2015; Zbl 1347.16007)]. In addition to their widespread appearance in representation theory and algebra, gentle algebras also are increasingly ubiquituous in geometric contexts. For example, their singularity category measures how far an algebra or variety is away from being nonsingular [\textit{M. Kalck}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 47, No. 1, 65--74 (2015; Zbl 1323.16012)]. They feature prominently in the programme to understand singularities of nodal curves and in an algebraic approach to mirror symmetry. The notion of derived-tameness was introduced in [\textit{C. Geiss} and \textit{H. Krause}, J. Algebra Appl. 1, No. 2, 133--157 (2002; Zbl 1034.16021)]. Gentle algebras are derived tame [\textit{V. Bekkert} and \textit{H. A. Merklen}, Algebr. Represent. Theory 6, No. 3, 285--302 (2003; Zbl 1032.16011)]. They form a subclass of special biserial algebras which is closed under derived equivalence [\textit{J. Schröer} and \textit{A. Zimmermann}, Math. Z. 244, No. 3, 515--530 (2003; Zbl 1036.16004)]. Let \(A\) be a gentle algebra and let \(\mathbb{A}\) be bounded derived category of finitely generated \(A\)-modules. The indecomposable objects of \(\mathbb{A}\) have been classified [loc. cit.] in terms of string combinatorics: namely they are given in terms of homotopy strings and homotopy bands. The corresponding indecomposable complexes are called string complexes and band complexes, respectively. Using the Happel functor [\textit{D. Happel}, Triangulated categories in the representation theory of finite dimensional algebras. Cambridge (UK) etc.: Cambridge University Press (1988; Zbl 0635.16017)], the Auslander-Reiten structure of the bounded homotopy category of finitely generated projective complexes was determined in [\textit{G. Bobiński}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 215, No. 4, 642--654 (2011; Zbl 1217.16014)]. A canonical basis for the morphisms between string complexes and band complexes in \(\mathbb{A}\) was given in [\textit{K. K. Arnesen} et al., J. Algebra 467, 1--46 (2016; Zbl 1360.18019)] in terms of three types of morphisms: graph maps, single maps and double maps. This is called the standard basis. The paper under review is very interesting. The authors describe the triangulated structure of the bounded derived category of a gentle algebra by describing the triangles induced by the morphisms between indecomposable objects in a basis of their Hom-space. Precisely, using (homotopy) string combinatorics, the authors describe the indecomposable summands of the mapping cones between string complexes and band complexes, that is, of chain maps \(f\) in the canonical basis of \(\Hom_{\mathbb{A}}(P,Q)\), where \(P\) and \(Q\) are indecomposable complexes such as string or bound complexes. Moreover, the results of the paper have been applied in [\textit{S. Opper} et al., ``A geometric model for the derived category of gentle algebras'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1801.09659}] to give a geometric interpretation of mapping cones in terms of resolutions of crossing curves in the context of a geometric model of the derived category of a gentle algebra.