Complete intersection \(K\)-theory and Chern classes (Q1384614)

The paper consists of two parts. The first part deals with an interesting subgroup of \(K_0\) of a commutative noetherian ring, determined by its locally complete intersection ideals. Let \(A\) be a noetherian commutative ring of dimension \(n\). Let \(F_0K_0A=\{[A/I]\in K_0A:I\) is a locally complete intersection ideal of height \(n\}\), where \(K_0A=K_0(\text{Spec }A)\) denotes Grothendieck's \(K_0\). As a first result it is shown that \(F_0K_0A\subset K_0A\) is a subgroup, which is called the zero cycle subgroup. Furthermore, whenever \(A\) is a reduced affine \(n\)-dimensional algebra over a field \(k\), then \(F_0K_0A\) is generated by the classes \([A/\mathfrak{M}]\), where \(\mathfrak{M}\) runs through all the regular maximal ideals of \(A\) of height \(n\). Via a universal construction one arrives at (a corollary of) the main result: With notations as above assume that whenever \([A/I]=0\) in \(K_0A\), \(I\) is an image of a projective (resp.\ stably free) \(A\)-module \(Q\) of rank \(n\). Then, if \([A/I]\) is divisible by \((n-1)!\) in \(F_0K_0A\), \(I\) is image of a projective \(A\)-module \(Q''\) (resp.\ with \((n-1)!([Q'']-n)=-[A/I]\)) of rank \(n\). The second part deals with the construction of projective modules with certain cycles as the total Chern class. For a noetherian scheme \(X\) let \(\displaystyle{ \Gamma(X)=\oplus_{i=0}^n\Gamma^i(X)}\) be the graded ring associated to Grothendieck's \(\gamma\)-filtration of \(K_0(X)\). Let \(\displaystyle{\text{CH}(X)=\oplus_{i=0}^n\text{CH}^i(X)}\) denote the Chow group of cycles of \(X\) modulo rational equivalence. The following result is a corollary of the main theorem of the second part: Let \(X=\text{Spec }A\) be a smooth affine variety of dimension \(n\) over a field. Assume that \(\text{CH}^n(X)\) is divisible by \((n-1)!\). Let \(Q_0\) be a projective \(A\)-module of rank \(n-1\), and let \(x_n\) be a cycle in \(\text{CH}^n(X)\). Then there is a projective \(A\)-module \(Q\) of rank \(n\) such that \(C_i(Q)=C_i(Q_0)\) for \(1\leq i<n\) and \(C_n(Q) =x_n\), where the \(C_i\) denote the Chern classes in \(\text{CH}^i(X)\), \(1\leq i\leq n\). Conversely, if \(Q\) is a projective \(A\)-module of rank \(n\), then there is a projective \(A\)-module \(Q''\) of rank \(n\) such that \(C_i(Q)=C_i(Q'')\) for \(1\leq i<n\) and \(C_n(Q'')=0\) in \(\text{CH}^n(X)\). The paper closes with some alternative proofs of results of \textit{N.~Mohan~Kumar} and \textit{M.~Murphy} on algebraic cycles and Chern classes.