No label defined (Q3972990)

[For the entire collection see Zbl 0721.00006.] Let \(X\) be a closed subscheme of the \(r\)-dimensional affine space \(\mathbb{A}^ r\) over \(\mathbb{Z}\), such that it is irreducible and reduced over \(\mathbb{C}\), of dimension \(n\), say. One defines a nonnegative integer invariant \(A\) of \(X\), namely the difference of the Euler-Poincaré characteristics of \(X_ \mathbb{C}\) and of a general hyperplane section, with coefficients in the intersection complex of \(X_ \mathbb{C}\). --- For a fixed prime \(p\) one takes the normalized (i.e., divided by \(p^{n/2})\) characteristic function of \(X(\mathbb{F}_ p)\) on \(\mathbb{A}^ r(\mathbb{F}_ p)\). Its Fourier transform is a complex-valued exponential sum \(f_ p\) on \((\mathbb{F}_ p)^ r\). One obtains bounds for the \(L^ 1\)-norm of \(f_ p\) and its variance (here \(A\) occurs), thereby distinguishing the cases \(A=0\), \(A=1\), \(A\geq 2\). The invariant \(A\) is determined for special choices of \(X\), e.g. of hypersurfaces. For the proofs, the situation is generalized to that with a given \(\ell\)- adic sheaf \({\mathcal F}\) on \(X[1/\ell]\) and one uses \(\ell\)-adic Fourier- transformation. To cope with singular \(X\), one uses the theory of perversity and passes to the middle extension of \({\mathcal F}\) from the nonsingular part of \(X\).