Equivariant \(K\)-theory of smooth toric varieties (Q2472595)

If \(X\) is a smooth toric variety whose dense torus \(T\) has character lattice \(M=\text{ Hom}(T,{\mathbb G}_m)\), denote the representation algebra \({\mathbb Z}[M]\) of \(T\) by \(RT\). Then the Merkurjev spectral sequence \[ E_{pq}^2={\text{ Tor}}^{RT}_p\big(K_q^T(X),{\mathbb Z}\big) \Longrightarrow K_{p+q}(X) \] connects ordinary and equivariant \(K\)-theory. It is known that if \(X\) is complete the \(E_{pq}^2=0\) for \(p\neq 0\), so that the spectral sequence degenerates and \(K_q(X)=K_q^T(X)\otimes_{RT}{\mathbb Z}\). This follows from the description of the equivariant \(K\)-theory given by \textit{G. Vezzosi} and \textit{A. Vistoli} [Invent. Math. 153, No. 1, 1--44 (2003); erratum ibid. 161, No.1, 219--224 (2005; Zbl 1032.19001)]: they give sufficient conditions for \(K_0^T\) to be flat as an \(RT\)-module, which are evidently satisfied if \(X\) is complete. This paper considers not necessarily complete \(X\) and improves the result substantially by giving necessary and sufficient conditions for flatness, which moreover depend only on the topology of the fan \(\Delta\) defining \(X\) and not on its realisation. The main theorem is that \(K_0^T(X)\) is flat if and only if \(S_\Delta\), the simplicial complex of the fan, is pure ({i.e.} all maximal cones have the same dimension); the reduced homology \(\tilde{H}_i(S_\Delta,{\mathbb Z})\) vanishes for \(i<\dim S_\Delta\); and, for any \(\sigma\in S_\Delta\), the reduced homology of the link \({\text{ lk}}\sigma\) also vanishes, \(\tilde{H}_i({\text{ lk}}\sigma,{\mathbb Z})=0\) for \(i<\dim{\text{ lk}}\sigma\). Recall that \({\text{ lk}}\sigma\) is the union of all cones \(\tau\in\Delta\) such that \(\tau\) and \(\sigma\) have disjoint closures and are both faces of some common cone in \(\Delta\). These conditions are also equivalent to the vanishing of \(E^2_{p0}\) for all \(p>0\), or \(E_{pq}^2=0\) for all \(p>0\) and \(q\geq 0\). The proof, which is quite quick, relies on the result of \textit{G. A. Reisner} [Adv. Math. 21, 30--49 (1976; Zbl 0345.13017)] that these conditions are equivalent to \({\mathbb Z}[S_\Delta]\) being Cohen-Macaulay. However, the author also gives a direct, though more complicated, proof by constructing suitable sheaves on \(\Delta\) (with respect to the order topology). This has the advantage of also handling the case when \(E^2_{pq}\) does not vanish: as long as \(\tilde{H}_i({\text{ lk}}\sigma,{\mathbb Z})=0\) for \(i<\dim S_\Delta\) and \(\sigma\neq 0\), the author obtains a topological description of \(E^2_{pq}\). If these conditions fail then no such description can exist, as is seen by comparing \(X\) with blow-ups of \(X\), {i.e.} by subdividing \(\Delta\). If the local reduced homology does not vanish, then \({\text{ Tor}}^{RT}_p\big(K_q^T(X),{\mathbb Z}\big)\) is not invariant under such blow-ups.