Zeta functions and motives (Q1011949)

The author studies rigid additive tensor categories \({\mathcal A}\) with the property that \(K= \text{End}(1),\) where \(K\) is a field of characteristic zero [cf. \textit{P. Deligne}, Mosc. Math. J. 2, No.~2, 227--248 (2002; Zbl 1005.18009)]. The paper consists of four parts. In part I the notion of multiplicity of an object in a semi-simple rigid \(K\)-linear tensor category is introduced. The multiplicities under assumption of Schur-finitness condition are rational integers. In the case, when the multiplicities of an object \(M\in{\mathcal A}\) are integers the author proves that the zeta function of an endomorphism of \(M\) is rational. It is shown (Theorem 3.2) that the zeta function satisfies a functional equation if \(f\) is invertible. This, as the author remarks, shows that these properties do not require the existence of a Weil cohomology theory. In part I the author also studies the behaviour of multiplicites under tensor products. He proves that the tensor product of two geometrically integral, Schur-finite motives is geometrically integral. Explicit formulas for the multiplicities are derived. The main result of part I is that the multiplicities of a motive of abelian type over a finite field are either equal to \(+1\) or \(-1.\) The main result of part II is that the number of points modulo \(q\) of \(X\), where \(X\) is a smooth projective variety over \({\mathbb F}_q\), depends only on the birational motive of \(X\). In part III the author proves that the motivic zeta function of a finite-dimensional pure motive over a field \(k\) (in the Kimura-O'Sullivan sense) satisfies a functional equation. In fact the more general result concerning the zeta functions of finite-dimensional objects of a rigid tensor category such that the endomorphism ring of the unit object is a field of characteristic zero is proven. In part IV the author shows that the relationship between the conjectures of Tate and Beilinson and some othe standard conjectures for smooth projective varieties is in fact abstract and may be formulated in the language of semi-simple tensor categories.