Algebraic \(K\)-theory and twisted reciprocity laws (Q1826473)

The author generalises the classical reciprocity law for power residues for a number field \(K\) from units \((K_1(K))\) to the higher \(K\)-theory groups \(K_{2i-1}(K)\). The classical law follows from the product formula \[ \prod_p \Biggl({a,b\over{\mathfrak p}}\Biggr)^{m_{\mathfrak p}/m}= 1, \] where \(a,b\in K^\times\), \({\mathfrak p}\) runs over all finite or real infinite places of \(K\), \(({,\over{\mathfrak p}})\) is the Hilbert symbol at \({\mathfrak p}\), and \(m\) (respectively, \(m_{\mathfrak p}\)) is the number of roots of unity in \(K\) (resp. \(K_{\mathfrak p}\)). This formula, in turn, can be expressed \(K\)-theoretically via the existence of a complex \(K_2(K)\to \bigoplus_{{\mathfrak p}}\mu_{{\mathfrak p}}\to \mu_K\to 0\). (This complex is, of course, exact according to Moore's reciprocity uniqueness theorem.) For \(a\in K^{\times}\) and \({\mathfrak p}\) a finite place not dividing \(a\), the \(m\)th power residue symbol (or generalised Legendre symbol) \(({a\over{\mathfrak p}})\) is related to the Hilbert symbol by the formula \[ \Biggl({a\over{\mathfrak p}}\Biggr)= \Biggl({\pi, a\over{\mathfrak p}}\Biggr)^{m_{\mathfrak p}/m}. \] More generally, for a fractional ideal \({\mathfrak a}\) relatively prime to \(\langle a\rangle\) and \(m\), we have the generalized Jacobi symbol \[ \Biggl({a\over{\mathfrak a}}\Biggr)= \prod_{{\mathfrak p}} \Biggl({a\over{\mathfrak p}}\Biggr)^{v_{\mathfrak p}({\mathfrak a})}. \] Let \(f\in K^\times\), \(f\) relatively prime to \(m\), and let \(a\in{\mathcal O}_K[1/m]^{\times}\). The product formula now implies the reciprocity law \[ \Biggl({a\over\langle f\rangle}\Biggr)^{-1}= \prod_{{\mathfrak p}\mid m\infty}\Biggl({a,f\over{\mathfrak p}}\Biggr)^{m_{\mathfrak p}/m}. \] The author generalises all of this as follows. Fix a prime \(l\). Let \(l^r\) be the exact power of \(l\) dividing \(m\). Let \(R_K= {\mathcal O}_K[1/l]\). Then for each \({\mathfrak p}\) not dividing \(l\), the generalised Legendre symbol gives a map \(R^{\times}_K= K_1(R_K)\to \mu_{l^r}= H^0(K,\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(1))\), \(a\mapsto ({a\over{\mathfrak p}})^{m/l^r}\). For each \(i\geq 1\), the author defines analogous twisted Legendre symbols \(K_{2i-1}(R_K)\to H^0(K,\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(i))\). By rederiving and carefully analysing the maps occurring in Banaszak's generalised Moore sequence \[ K_{2i}(K)\{l\}@> (h^{(i)}_{\mathfrak p})>> \bigoplus_{\mathfrak p}H^0(K_{\mathfrak p},\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(i))^{m_{i,{\mathfrak p}}/m_i} \to H^0(K,\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(i))\to 0 \] (where \(m_i= | H^0(K,\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(i))|\)) and \(m_{i,{\mathfrak p}}=| H^0(K_{\mathfrak p},\mathbb{Q}_l/\mathbb{Z}_l(i)))|)\), the author relates the twisted Jacobi symbols \(({a\over f})\) (\(a\in K_{2i-1}(R_K)\), \(f\in K_1(K)\) relatively prime to \(l\)), to the maps \(h^{(i)}_{\mathfrak p}\) and deduces a `twisted' version of the classical reciprocity law. The author also proves an intriguing property of the `twisted Legendre symbols'. He shows that the symbols \((\frac{a}{\mathfrak p})\) can be normalised by multiplying by an appropriate \(l\)-adic unit (depending on \({\mathfrak p}\) and i) in such a way that the value becomes `on average independent of \({\mathfrak p}\)' in a sense made precise in the paper. Even in the classical case, this seems to be a new observation. The author shows that the analogous result for global fields of positive characteristic is closely related to Suslin rigidity.