On the Chow group of codimension two of varieties over finite fields (Q435261)

If \(X\) is a smooth, projective and geometrically integral variety over a finite field \(\mathbb{F}_{p}\), the canonical map \(\mathrm{CH}^{i}(X)\to \mathrm{CH}^{i}(\overline{X})^{G}\) is surjective for \(i=0,1,\mathrm{dim}\, X\). Here \(\overline{X}\) denotes the base extension of \(X\) to an algebraic closure of \(\mathbb{F}_{p}\) and \(G\) is the absolute Galois group of \(\mathbb{F}_{p}\). The purpose of this paper is to construct an example where the above map fails to be surjective for \(i=2\). The author begins by establishing the following result. Let \(X\) be a smooth projective and geometrically rational variety over \(\mathbb Q\). Then, for almost all rational primes \(p\), there exists a reduction \(X_{p}\) of \(X\) which is smooth, projective and geometrically rational over \(\mathbb{F}_{p}\) such that \[ \mathrm{Coker}\!\left[\mathrm{CH}^{2}(X_{p})\to \mathrm{CH}^{2}(\overline{X}_{p})^{G}\,\right]\!\{\ell\}=H_{\mathrm{nr}}^{3} (X_{p},{\mathbb Q}_{\ell}/{\mathbb Z}_{\ell}(2)) \] for all primes \(\ell\neq p\). To prove this result, the author shows that the Galois cohomology group \(H^{i}(\mathbb{F}_{p}, H^{1}(\overline{X}_{p}, \mathcal K_{2}))\) vanishes for all \(i\geq 1\) and then uses an exact sequence due to B.Kahn. The problem is thus reduced to finding examples where \(H_{\mathrm{nr}}^{3} (X_{p},{\mathbb Q}_{\ell}/{\mathbb Z}_{\ell}(2))\neq 0\) for some \(\ell\neq p\). Such examples were found by J.-L. Colliot-Thélène and M. Ojanguren over \(\mathbb C\) (with \(\ell=2\)) in 1989, and what the author does is adapt their method to produce examples over finite fields. The construction itself is interesting (and probably demanded much work) and can be summarized as follows. Let \(Q\) be a smooth quadric in \(\mathbb P^{4}_{\mathbb Q(x,y)}\) defined by an equation \[ x_{0}^{2}-ax_{1}^{2}-fx_{2}^{2}+afx_{3}^{2}-g_{1}g_{2}x_{4}^{2}=0 \] where \(a\in \mathbb Q^{*}\) is not a square and \(f,g_{1},g_{2}\) satisfy certain conditions. Let \(X\) be a smooth projective model of \(Q\) over \(\mathbb P^{2}_{\mathbb Q}\). Thus \(X\) is a smooth projective \(\mathbb Q\)-variety which admits a fibration over \(\mathbb P^{2}_{\mathbb Q}\) having generic fiber \(Q\). Then, for infinitely many rational primes \(p\), the reduction of \(X\) modulo \(p\) exists and is a smooth and projective \(\mathbb{F}_{p}\)-variety which satisfies {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)] \(H_{\mathrm{nr}}^{3} (X_{p},{\mathbb Z}/2)\neq 0\), and \item[(ii)] \(\mathrm{CH}^{2}(X_{p})\to \mathrm{CH}^{2}(\overline{X}_{p})^{G}\) is not surjective. \end{itemize}}