The algebraic cohomotopy group and its properties (Q6107501)

For a commutative ring \(A\) with unity, a row \(\mathbf a=(a_1,\dots,a_n)\) of ring elements is called unimodular of length \(n\), if there is another row \(\mathbf b=(b_1,\dots,b_n)\) of elements in \(A\) such that their dot product \(\mathbf a\cdot \mathbf b=1\); the set of unimodular rows of \(A\) is denoted by \(\mathrm{Um}_n(A)\). The paper considers the case \(n=2\). An equivalence relation \(\sim\) on \(\mathrm{Um}_2(A)\) is defined by either of the following two equivalent conditions: (1) There exists \((f_1(T), f_2(T))\in\mathrm{Um}_2(A[T])\) such that \((f_1(0),f_2(0))=(a,b)\) and \((f_1(1),f_2(1))=(c,d)\) (here \(A[T]\) is the polynomial ring over \(A\) with variable \(T\)); (2) There is a matrix \(\alpha\in\mathrm{SL}_2(A)\) for which there exists a matrix \(\beta(T)\in\mathrm{SL}_2(A[T])\) with \(\beta(0)=I_2\) and \(\beta(1)=\alpha\), such that \(\alpha(a, b)^t=(c, d)^t\). The equivalence classes \(\mathrm{Um}_2(A)/_\sim = \Gamma(A)\) form a group (called the ``algebraic cohomotopy group'') under the operation \([a,b]*[c,d]=[ac+de,bc+df]\), where \(e, f\) are such that the matrix with first row \((a,e)\) and second row \((b,f)\) is in \(\mathrm{SL}_2(A)\); the unit element is \([1,0]\). This group was previously used by \textit{M. I. Krusemeyer} in [Invent. Math. 19, 15--47 (1973; Zbl 0247.14005)] (see also [\textit{M. Karoubi} and \textit{O. Villamayor}, Math. Scand. 28, 265--307 (1971; Zbl 0231.18018)]). The authors establish some properties of the group \(\Gamma(A)\), such as the following: The group is trivial in a number of important cases, namely if \(A\) is a field, a local ring, a polynomial ring over a field, a Euclidean domain, the polynomial ring over integers, semilocal ring, ring of dimension \(0\). If \(I\) is the nil radical of \(A\), then \(\Gamma(A)\cong\Gamma(A/I)\). If \(A=A_0\oplus A_1\oplus A_2\oplus\dots\) is a positively graded ring, then \(\Gamma(A)\cong\Gamma(A_0)\), hence \(\Gamma(A)\cong\Gamma(A[X_1,\dots,X_n])\). If \(K\) is a field, then, for every \(n\), \(\Gamma( K[X_1^{\pm1},\dots, X_n^{\pm1}])=[1,0]\). One of the open problems is whether \(\Gamma(A)\) is torsion-free. The paper would benefit from some linguistic editing.