A note on secondary \(K\)-theory (Q2629785)

The paper under review shows that Toën's \textit{secondary \(K\)-theory ring} (over a commutative base ring) and with Bondal-Larsen-Lunts's Grothendieck ring of smooth and proper pretriangulated dg categories are isomorphic. Secondary \(K\)-theory is defined using (not necessarily split) short exact sequences of (Morita equivalence classes of) smooth and proper dg categories, whilst the Grothendieck ring is defined using semiorthogonal decompositions of smooth and proper dg categories. The isomorphism is proved by showing that short exact sequences of dg categories with the first being smooth and proper and the second proper, necessarily split, i.e.~that the inclusion functor on the level of their derived categories admits both a left and right adjoint which gives a semiorthogonal decomposition. In other words, smooth and proper dg categories behave somewhat like injective objects in the category of dg categories. The second result of the paper concerns the natural morphism from the derived Brauer group (describing derived Azumaya algebras) to secondary \(K\)-theory, which can be seen as a higher analogue of the natural morphism from the Picard group to the Grothendieck group. This latter morphism is well-known to be injective using the determinant splitting, but no such splitting exists in the current situation. The paper gives various injectivity properties (in particular for a field of characteristic zero) and describes how the image of (un)derived Azumaya algebras can be compared. The proofs use the theory of noncommutative motives, as introduced by the author. It should be remarked that the injectivity properties have been improved upon significantly in a recent preprint of the author, see [\textit{G.\ Tabuada}, ``A note on secondary \(K\)-theory II'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1607.03094}]. It is shown that the morphism is injective for any regular integral quasicompact quasiseparated scheme.