Chow groups of \(K3\) surfaces and spherical objects (Q604443)

Let \(X\) be a complex projective \(K3\) surface. Then the Chow groups \(\mathrm{CH}^2(X)\) and \(\mathrm{CH}^1(X)\) are well known. The group \(\mathrm{CH}^0(X)\) is instead a very complicated object. For example, the subgroup of algebraically trivial cycles of \(\mathrm{CH}^0(X)\) is infinite dimensional. \textit{A. Beauville} and \textit{C. Voisin} [J. Algebr. Geom. 13, No. 3, 417--426 (2004; Zbl 1069.14006)] considered the group: \[ R(X) := \mathrm{CH}^0(X) \oplus \mathrm{CH}^1(X) \oplus c_X {\mathbb Z}, \] where \(c_X\) is the class in \(\mathrm{CH}^2(X)\) of a closed point \(x\) contained in a rational curve on \(X\). They then showed that \(R(X)\) is a subring of \(\mathrm{CH}^*(X)\) and that \(24 c_X = c_2(X)\). If the surface \(X\) is instead defined on a number field \(K\), the Bloch-Beilinson conjecture predicts that over number fields the degree map yields an isomorphism \(\mathrm{CH}^2(X) \otimes {\mathbb Q} \simeq {\mathbb Q}\). In particular, for any \(K3\) surface \(X\) defined over a number field \(K\) the conjecture predicts that base change yields \[ \mathrm{CH}^*(X) \otimes {\mathbb Q} \hookrightarrow \mathrm{CH}^*(X_L) \otimes {\mathbb Q} \simeq R(X_{\mathbb C}) \otimes {\mathbb Q} \simeq {\mathbb Q}^{\rho(X_{\mathbb C}) +2}, \] where \(L\) is a certain field extension of \(K\) with a given embedding in \(\mathbb C\). In this paper, the author considers invariance of \(R(X)\) under derived equivalence, in the case where \(X\) is complex. The first main result shows that if \(\rho(X) \geq 2\) and \(E\) is a spherical object, then its Chern character twisted with \(\sqrt{Td(X)}\) is in \(R(X)\). Then given \(X\) with \(\rho(X) \geq 2\), he shows that a derived equivalence between two complex \(K3\) surfaces \(X\) and \(X'\) naturally induces (by taking the Chern class of the kernel corrected with the square root of the Todd class) an isomorphism between the Chow rings sending \(R(X)\) to \(R(X')\). A key step in the proof is proving that, without assumption on the Picard number, derived equivalences inducing the same action on cohomology induce the same action on the Chow rings. A very important tool in the proofs is provided by the study of non algebraic cases and deformations of Fourier-Mukai transforms as in [\textit{D. Huybrechts, E. Macrì} and \textit{P. Stellari}, Duke Math. J. 149, No. 3, 461--507 (2009; Zbl 1237.18008)]. In the case where \(X\) is defined over a number field \(K\), then the author proves that any spherical object \(E\) on \(X_{\mathbb C}\) is defined over a finite extension of \(K\), and, if \(\rho(X_{\bar{\mathbb Q}}) \geq 2\), then any spherical object on \(X_{\bar{\mathbb Q}}\) extended to \(X_{\mathbb C}\) has twisted chern character in \(R(X_{\mathbb C})\). This gives, if \(\rho(X) \geq 2\), a wide class of non trivial classes in \(\mathrm{CH}^2(X)\) for which the Bloch-Beilinson conjecture holds.