The Künneth theorem in equivariant \(K\)-theory for actions of a cyclic group of order 2 (Q1948316)

The Künneth theorem in equivariant \(K\)-theory is a spectral sequence that computes the equivariant \(K\)-theory of the product from that of its pieces [\textit{L. Hodgkin} and \textit{V. Snaith}, Topics in K-theory. Berlin etc.: Springer (1975; Zbl 0323.55009)]. The problem is that the general formula does work when the Lie group \(G\) is not connected or when \({\pi}_1(G)\) is not torsion free. In the first case, the spectral sequence does not offer much for the calculations and in the second case it may converge to a wrong limit. In certain cases of \(C^*\)-algebras, the second case has been fixed [\textit{J. Rosenberg} and \textit{C. Schochet}, Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 348, 95 p. (1986; Zbl 0607.46043)]. The paper under review deals with the first case and, in particular for \(G = \mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\). In the first part of the paper, the author reviews the properties of the equivariant \(K\)-theory where the group is a finite cyclic group of prime order. Notice that the coefficients for the equivariant \(K\)-theory is the representation ring of the group which, in this case, is the group ring, which can be identified with the quotient of the polynomial ring by the ideal generated by \(t^q - 1\). The author presents an example where the the \(K\)-theory vanishes but the equivariant \(K\)-theory does not. Also, he presents the opposite construction examining the properties of the \(K\)-theory when the equivariant \(K\)-theory vanishes. This allows him to construct examples where the Künneth theorem fails. But there is a version of the localized Künneth theorem that works, when the localization takes place at a prime ideal that is generated by the cyclotomic polynomial and a prime number. In the case of the cyclic group of order two, we have two 1-dimensional representations, the trivial and the sign representation. Here there is a way of comparing the equivariant \(K\)-theory with the twisted equivariant \(K\)-theory (the twist is given by the sign representation). That results in a 6-term exact sequence that connects \(K\)-theory, equivariant \(K\)-theory and twisted equivariant \(K\)-theory. Also, that construction allows the author to define an \(\mathrm{RO}(G)\)-graded form of the equivariant \(K\)-theory. The main result of the paper is that an \(\mathrm{RO}(G)\)-graded form of the equivariant \(K\)-theory satisfies an analogue of the Künneth formula when it is localized at an ideal that is generated by \(t - 1\) and a prime.