No label defined (Q4934301)

A spectral sequence is a sequence of abelian groups \(E_r\) whose limit \(E_\infty\) is related to an abelian group \(G\). Determining the relationship between \(E_\infty\) and \(G\) is called the convergence problem. The optimal situation is strong convergence where \(G\) has a decreasing filtration \(F^sG\), \(s\in Z\), such that: \[ \bigcup_{s\in Z}F^s G=G,\quad \bigcap_{s\in Z}F^s G=0, \quad \varprojlim^1F^sG =0\quad \text{and} \quad E^s_\infty= F^sG/F^{s+1} G\quad \text{for}\quad s\in Z. \] In this case, \(E_\infty\) determines \(G\) up to group extensions. The introduction of spectral sequences in the 1950s and 60s revolutionalized algebraic topology by providing effective tools for computing homology and homotopy groups. These bigraded spectral sequences were cofined to one quadrant and establishing strong convergence was straightforward. Subsequently, however, bigraded spectral sequences were constructed which occupied a half-plane or the whole plane. Strong convergence does not always hold for these spectral sequences. This paper introduces the notion of conditional convergence to study the convergence of spectral sequences. Say the spectral sequence is defined by the exact couple \[ \begin{matrix} A^{s+1} & @>i_s>> & A^s\\ \nwarrow & & \swarrow\\ & E_s\end{matrix}. \] The spectral sequence is said to be conditionally convergent to \(\varinjlim A^s\) if \(\varprojlim A^s=0\) and \(\varprojlim^1A^s=0\). Alternatively, the spectral sequence is said to be conditionally convergent to \(\varprojlim A^s\) if \(\varinjlim A^s=0\). As the examples in Part III of this paper show, all the major spectral sequences of algebraic topology satisfy conditional convergence under reasonable hypotheses. Moreover, in Part II the author gives readily verifiable algebraic conditions which imply strong convergence for certain half-plane and whole plane spectral sequences. These conditions apply to half-plane spectral sequences with exiting differentials (only a finite number of \(d_r\) are nonzero on each \(E_r^{s,t})\) and to half-plane spectral sequences with entering differentials (only a finite number of \(d_r\) have nonzero image in each \(E_r^{s,t})\). These conditions also apply to whole plane spectral sequences for which there is no infinite set of nonzero crossing differentials. Comparison theorems are deduced for certain conditionally convergent spectral sequences which need not be strongly convergent. The reader is referred to this beautifully written paper for the technical details. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0924.00035].