On Grothendieck rings and algebraically constructible functions (Q2405957)

In the paper under review the author investigates Grothendieck rings appearing in real geometry, most notably for arc-symmetric sets, and focus on the relative case in analogy with the properties of the ring of algebraically constructible functions defined by \textit{C. McCrory} and \textit{A. Parusiński} [Math. Sci. Res. Inst. Publ. 58, 121--160 (2011; Zbl 1240.14012)]. Let \(S \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) be a semialgebraic set. A semialgebraically constructible function on \(S\) is an integer valued function that can be written as a finite sum \(\sum_{i \in I} m_i 1_{S_i}\), where for each \(i \in I\), \(m_i\) is an integer and \(1_{S_i}\) is the characteristic function of a semialgebraic subset \(S_i\) of \(S\). Semialgebraically constructible functions form a commutative ring that will be denoted by \(F(S)\). Dealing with real algebraic sets rather than semialgebraic ones, the push-forward along a regular mapping of the characteristic function of a real algebraic set can not be expressed in general as a linear combination of characteristic functions of real algebraic sets. Nevertheless, the set of all such push-forwards forms a subring \(A(S)\) of \(F(S)\), which is endowed with the same operations. \textit{R. Cluckers} and \textit{F. Loeser} noticed in the introduction of [Invent. Math. 173, No. 1, 23--121 (2008; Zbl 1179.14011)] that \(F(S)\) is isomorphic to the relative Grothendieck ring of semialgebraic sets over \(S\), the push-forward corresponding to the composition with a semialgebraic mapping. The aim of the paper is to continue the analogy further in order to relate the rings of algebraically constructible functions and Nash constructible functions to Grothendieck rings appearing in real geometry. If \(S\) is a real algebraic variety, the author shows that the relative Grothendieck ring \(K_0(\mathbb{R}Var_S)\) of real algebraic varieties over \(S\) maps surjectively to the ring \(A(S)\) of algebraically constructible functions, together with an analogous statement for the ring of Nash constructible functions \(N(S)\).