Homology of \(\operatorname{SL}_2\) over function fields. I: Parabolic subcomplexes (Q1637087)

The author provides interesting, useful calculations of a part of the group homology, with \(\mathbb{Z}[1/2]\) coefficients, of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(k[C])\) where \(C\) is an affine curve over the algebraically closed field \(k\). Let \(\bar{C}\) be a smooth projective curve over \(k\), let \(P_1,\dots, P_s\) be closed points of \(\bar{C}\) and let \(C\) be the affine curve \(\bar{C}\setminus\{ P_1,\dots, P_s\}\). Let \(\Gamma = \mathrm{SL}_2(k[C])\) and let \(\mathfrak{X}_C\) be the associated building. \(\mathfrak{X}_C\) is a product of trees \(\mathfrak{T}_1\times \cdots \times \mathfrak{T}_s\) where \(\mathfrak{T}_i\) is the tree of the valuation \(v_i\) associated to \(P_i\). The vertices of the orbit space \(\Gamma\backslash\mathfrak{X}_C\) are naturally indexed by certain equivalence classes of rank \(2\) vector bundles \(\mathcal{E}\) on \(\bar{C}\) whose restriction to \(C\) is trivial. The author introduces the \textit{parabolic subcomplex} \(\mathfrak{P}_C\) of \(\mathfrak{X}_C\) consisting of those cells whose stabilizer in \(\Gamma\) contains a non-central non-unipotent element. The orbits of the vertices of \(\mathfrak{P}_C\) are then precisely the equivalence classes of rank \(2\) bundles which decompose as a sum of line bundles. The quotient of \(\mathfrak{X}_C\) modulo the subcomplex \(\mathfrak{P}_C\) is denoted \(\mathfrak{U}_C\), the `unknown quotient'. There is thus a long exact sequence in equivariant homology \(\dots \to H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C)\to H_\bullet(\Gamma)\to H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{U}_C)\to \cdots\) (the middle term arising from the contractibility of \(\mathfrak{X}_C\)). The main result of the paper is then a computation of the equivariant homology groups \(H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C, \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\) of the parabolic complex, obtained by carefully analysing the structure of the orbit space \(\Gamma\backslash \mathfrak{P}_C\) and the terms of the related isotropy spectral sequence: Let \(\iota\) denote the involution \([L]\mapsto [L^{-1}]\) of the Picard group \(\mathrm{Pic}(C)\). Then \(H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C, \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\cong \bigoplus_{[L]\in \mathrm{Pic}(C)/\iota }H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C(L),\mathbb{Z}[1/2])\). Here \(\mathfrak{P}_C(L)\) is the connected component of \(\mathfrak{P}_C\) corresponding to \([L]\) and the groups \(H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C(L), \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\) can be described in an accessible way: If \(L|_C\not\cong L^{-1}|_C\) then \(H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C(L), \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\cong H_\bullet(k[C]^\times, \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\), while if \(L|_C\cong L^{-1}|_C\) there is a long exact sequence of the form \(\dots \to H_\bullet(SN,\mathbb{Z}[1/2])\to H_\bullet^{\Gamma}(\mathfrak{P}_C(L), \mathbb{Z}[1/2])\to \mathcal{RP}^1_\bullet(k)\otimes_\mathbb{Z}\mathbb{Z}[1/2][k[C]^\times/(k[C]^\times)^2]\to \cdots\) where \(SN\) denotes the group of monomial matrices in \(\Gamma\) and the groups \(\mathcal{RP}^1_\bullet(k)\) are `refined scissors congruence groups' defined by the author. These latter groups can be understood quite explicitly in low dimensions. The author treats also the case \(\Gamma=\mathrm{GL}_2(k[C])\). Furthermore, he shows how to extend the results in some special cases -- eg \(C=\mathbb{P}^1(k)\setminus\{ 0,\infty\}\) -- to arbitrary infinite fields \(k\). The author also discusses the relationship of his computations, upon taking limits, to the predictions of the Friedlander-Milnor conjecture for \(\mathrm{SL}_2(k(C))\).