Étale descent for Hochschild and cyclic homology (Q1179511)

Let \(HH_ *(A)\) denote Hochschild homology of a \(k\)-algebra, \(A\), and let \(HC_ *(A)\) denote the cyclic homology. The authors prove a number of descent results for \(HH_ *\) (in the Zariski, étale and Nisnevich topologies) and analogous results for \(HC_ *\) for algebras over fields of characteristic zero. The novelty in the proof is the removal of a flatness condition necessary in an earlier paper. As a sample of the results, suppose that \(A\subset B\) is any étale extension of commutative \(k\)-algebras. Then the authors show that \(HH_ *(B)\cong HH_ *(A)\otimes_ AB\). If \(A\subset B\) is Galois with group \(G\), they show that \(HH_ *(A)\cong HH_ *(B)^ G\) with a similar result for \(HC_ *(A)\) if \(\text{char}(K)=0\). A particular case of the above results is a localisation of the form \(B=S^{-1}A\). The authors use these results together with the connection of \(HC_ *\) with relative \(K\)-theory to compute the algebraic \(K\)-theory of a semi-normal curve in characteristic zero.