Nodal curves and virtual wild ramification (Q2571055)

Let \(S\) be the spectrum of a discrete valuation ring of residue characteristic \(p>0\). Let \(Z\) be a seperated scheme which is of finite type over \(S\) and \(\ell\) a prime different from \(p\). The author studies sheaves of \(\mathbb F_\ell\)-modules which are smooth on every stratum of a suitable partition of \(Z\). The key problem is to study the difference of two such sheaves \(F_1\) and \(F_2\) which have the same wild ramification at infinity. The author defines a subgroup \(K_c(Z, \mathbb F_\ell)_t^0\subset K_c(Z, \mathbb F_\ell)\) of virtual sheaves with virtual wild ramification zero which is generated by the classes of these differences. Here \(K_c(Z, \mathbb F_\ell)\) is the Grothendieck group of \(\mathbb F_\ell\)-constructible sheaves on the étale site of \(Z\). The main result is that this subgroup is preserved by the formalism of the six operations ``à la Grothendieck''. This generalizes results of Deligne and the author over a field.