\(K\)-theoretic torsion and the zeta function (Q2148524)

Let \(\tilde X \to X\) be a cyclic covering space with generating deck transformation \(T \colon \tilde X \to \tilde X\). Associated with the pair \((\tilde X, T)\) is the algebraic torsion \(\tau(t) \in \mathbb{Q}(t)^\times\) of the contractible chain complex \(C_*(\tilde X) \otimes_{\mathbb{Z}[t,t^{-1}]} \mathbb{Q}(t)\) (which has an interpretation of Reidemeister torsion of \(X\)), and the Lefschetz zeta function \[ \zeta(t) = \exp \Big( \sum_{k \geq 1} L(T^{\circ k} \frac{t^k}{k} \Big) \ \in \mathbb{Q}(t)^\times \ . \] Milnor showed that these two invariants are related to the Euler characteristic by the formula \[ \zeta(t^{-1}) \tau(t) = t^{\chi(\tilde X)} \ . \] The authors construct algebraic versions of torsion, zeta function and Euler characteristic, giving maps \begin{gather*} \tau(t) \colon K(\mathrm{End}^S_A) \to \Omega K(A[t]_S) \ , \\ \zeta(t) \colon K(\mathrm{End}^S_A) \to \Omega K(A[t]_T) \ , \\ \chi(t) \colon K(\mathrm{End}^S_A) \to \Omega K(A[t]_S) \ ; \end{gather*} here \(A\) is an associative ring, \(S \subseteq A[t]\) is a set of central monic polynomials, \(T\) is obtained from \(S\) by ``reversing'' the coefficients, and the \(K\)-theory spaces are those associated with the category of \(S\)-torsion endomorphisms of \(A\)-modules and the indicated localisations of the ring \(A[t]\), respectively. The main result is that the sum of \(\tau(t)\) and \(\zeta(t^{-1})\), in this new setting, is homotopic to the map \(\chi(t)\), generalising Milnor's formula. It is further explained how to use linearisation to extend the above constructions to categories of endomorphisms of retractive spaces (the input data for Waldhausen \(K\)-theory of spaces), giving higher \(K\)-theory versions of torsion and zeta function for spaces. The resulting invariants are shown to be non-trivial in higher \(K\)-groups, as shown by explicit examples. The paper is carefully written and contains a number of interesting results apart from the ones mentioned above, including a ``fundamental theorem'' expressing the \(K\)-theory spaces \(K(A[t]_S)\) and \(K(A[t]_T)\) in terms of the \(K\)-theory spaces of \(A\), \(A[t]\) and the \(K\)-theory of \(S\)-torsion endomorphisms (with \(A\), \(S\) and \(T\) as before).