Refined and \(l\)-adic Euler characteristics of nearly perfect complexes. (Q1425095)

Let \(G\) be a finite group and let \({\mathcal C}^*\) be a nearly perfect complex of \(\mathbb{Z} G\)-modules. Then \({\mathcal C}^*\) has an Euler characteristic \(\xi({\mathcal C}^*)\) in the Grothendieck group \(K_0(\mathbb{Z} G)\) of all finitely generated projective \(\mathbb{Z} G\)-modules, and \(\xi({\mathcal C}^*)\) has image \(\xi_{\text{coh}}({\mathcal C}^*)\) in the Grothendieck group \(G_0(\mathbb{Z} G)\) of all finitely generated \(\mathbb{Z} G\)-modules under the natural map. The main algebraic result in [\textit{T. Chinberg}, \textit{M. Kostler}, \textit{G. Pappas} and \textit{V. Snaith}, Compos. Math. 119, 133--155 (1999; Zbl 1011.11075)] is that \(\xi_{\text{coh}}({\mathcal C}^*)\) has a canonical lift \(\xi^{\text{rel}}_{\text{coh}}({\mathcal C}^*,\mu_{\mathbb{Q}})\) to the relative Grothendieck group \(G_0T(\mathbb{Z} G)\) of all finite \(\mathbb{Z} G\)-modules; here, \(\mu_{\mathbb{Q}}\) is a \(\mathbb{Q} G\)-equivariant trivialization homomorphism between the even and odd rational cohomology of \({\mathcal C}^*\). In this paper, the authors refine the above result by showing that \(\xi({\mathcal C}^*)\) itself has a canonical lift to an element \(\xi^{\text{rel}}({\mathcal C}^*,\mu_{\mathbb{Q}})\) belonging to the Grothendieck group \(K_0T(\mathbb{Z} G)\) of finite \(\mathbb{Z} G\)-modules of finite homological dimension. Further, \(\xi^{\text{rel}}({\mathcal C}^*,\mu_{\mathbb{Q}})\) maps to \(\xi^{\text{rel}}_{\text{coh}}({\mathcal C}^*,\mu_{\mathbb{Q}})\) under the natural map from \(K_0T(\mathbb{Z} G)\) to \(G_0T(\mathbb{Z} G)\). The construction depends on a new description of \(\xi({\mathcal C}^*)\) in terms of a mapping cone construction of complexes. It is remarked that this new invariant is expected to be computable as the leading term of certain \(L\)-series, by analogy with known geometrical calculations.