On the Brauer group of a real algebraic surface (Q1387422)

Let \(X\) be a nonsingular complete real algebraic surface. Let \(\text{Br} (X)\) be the Brauer group of \(X\), i.e., \(\text{Br} (X)=\text{Br} '(X):=H^2_{\text{et}}(X,{\mathbb G}_m)\). It was proved by \textit{V. A. Krasnov} [Izv. Math. 60, No. 5, 933-962 (1996); translation from Izv. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Mat. 60, No. 5, 57-88 (1996; Zbl 0896.13003)] that \(\text{Br} (X)=({\mathbb Q}/{\mathbb Z})^{\rho_0(X)}\oplus H^3(X({\mathbb C}); G, {\mathbb Z}_{-})_{\text{tors}}\). Here \(\rho_0(X)\) denotes the Lefschetz number. It is equal to the dimension of the cokernel of the homomorphism \(\text{Pic}(X)\otimes {\mathbb Q}\to H^2(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb Q})_{-}\), where \(H^2(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb Q})_{-}\) is the subspace of \(H^2(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb Q})\) antiinvariant with respect to the involution of complex conjugation \(g:X({\mathbb C})\to X({\mathbb C})\). \(G\) is the group of order \(2\) generated by \(g\). \({\mathbb Z}_{-}\) is the constant sheaf on \(X({\mathbb C})\) with fiber \({\mathbb Z}\) on which \(g\) acts by multiplication by \(-1\). \(H^3(X({\mathbb C}); G,{\mathbb Z}_{-})_{\text{tors}}\) is the torsion subgroup of the equivariant cohomology group. Restricting to the \(2\)-elementary subgroups, the above identity gives rise to \[ \dim _2 \text{Br} (X)=\rho_0(X)+ \dim _2 H^3(X({\mathbb C}); G,{\mathbb Z}_{-}). \] One of the main results of this paper is concerned with the dimension \(\dim _2 \text{Br} (X)\). Theorem 1: Suppose that \(X({\mathbb R})\neq \emptyset\). Then \[ \dim _2 \text{Br} (X)=\rho_0(X)-q(X)+k^1(Y)+2s-1 \] where \(q(X)\) is the irregularity of \(X\), \(Y:=X({\mathbb C})/G\), \(k^1(Y)\) is the dimension of the kernel of the restriction homomorphism \(H^1(Y,{\mathbb F}_2)\to H^1(X({\mathbb R}),{\mathbb F}_2)\), and \(s\) is the number of connected components of the set \(X({\mathbb R})\). Theorem 1 is proved by establishing the relation \(\dim _2 H^3(X({\mathbb C});G,{\mathbb Z}_{-})=k^1(Y)-q(X)+2s-1\). -- The other main result is concerned with the structure of \(\text{Br} (X)\) in the case \(H_1(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb Z})={\mathbb Z}/2\). Under this assumption, \(H_1(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb F}_2)={\mathbb F}_2\), so let \(\theta\) be a generator of \(H^1(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb F}_2)\). Theorem 2: Suppose that \(H_1(X({\mathbb C}),{\mathbb Z})={\mathbb Z}/2\) and \(X({\mathbb R})\neq\emptyset\). Then (1) if \(\theta| _{X({\mathbb R})}\neq 0\), then \(\text{Br} (X)=({\mathbb Q}/{\mathbb Z})^{\rho_0(X)}\oplus ({\mathbb Z}/2)^{2s-1}\), (2) if \(\theta| _{X({\mathbb R})}=0\) and \(H^1(Y,{\mathbb F}_2)\neq 0\), then \(\text{Br} (X)=({\mathbb Q}/{\mathbb Z})^{\rho_0(X)}\oplus ({\mathbb Z}/2)^{2s}\), (3) if \(\theta| _{X({\mathbb R})}=0\) and \(H^1(Y,{\mathbb F}_2)=0\), then \(\text{Br} (X)=({\mathbb Q}/{\mathbb Z})^{\rho_0(X)}\oplus ({\mathbb Z}/2)^{2s-2}\oplus {\mathbb Z}/4\). Theorem 2 is proved by computing \(H^3(X({\mathbb C});G,{\mathbb Z}_{-})_{\text{tors}}\) explicitly.