Introduction to étale cohomology. Translated by Manfred Kolster (Q1337399)

The concepts of étale topology and étale cohomology were initially defined by A. Grothendieck in the early 1960's and, in the sequel, developed as a complete methodical framework in algebraic geometry by him, M. Artin, P. Deligne, and others. The original purpose for introducing this étale theory was to rigorously elaborate A. Weil's discovery (1949) that the complex topology of an algebraic variety over \(\mathbb{Z}\) seemingly determines the number of rational points with respect to the finite field obtained by reduction (of the defining equations) modulo a prime number. In this regard, étale cohomology theory proved itself to be very useful and effective. Moreover, it has become one of the most powerful methods in algebraic geometry and number theory, which has led to fundamentally new insights, solutions of long-standing problems, and various applications within these areas. The present booklet provides a first introduction into the basic concepts and method of étale cohomology. It grew out of a lecture course held by the author at the University of Göttingen in 1975/1976, and the German edition of the text appeared in 1979 as mimeographed lecture notes [cf. ``Einführung in die étale Komologie'', Regensb. Trichter 17 (1979; Zbl 0473.14010)]. The text under review is an English translation of the completely unchanged German original. Quite doubtless, it is a highly welcome circumstance that the author has made his well-tried lecture notes once more available and, this time, even accessible to a wider international public. In fact, the text has maintained, over the past twenty years, its unique introductory character, and it still represents an excellent guide through the basics of étale cohomology. Even now, these notes provide a masterly arranged preparatory material for those, who want to learn étale cohomology and its various applications more thoroughly, in particular by studying the very advanced standard books ``SGA 4''=Séminaire de géométrie algébrique 1963-64, Lect. Notes Math. 269, 270 and 305 (1972; Zbl 0234.00007), (1972; Zbl 0237.00012) and (1973; Zbl 0245.00002); ``SGA \(4{1 \over 2}\)'' [cf. Lect. Notes Math. 569 (1977; Zbl 0345.00010)], and \textit{J. S. Milne}'s ``Étale cohomology'' [cf. Princeton Math. Ser. 33 (1980; Zbl 0433.14012)].