Some computations of the cohomology of \(\text{GL}_N(\mathbb{Z})\) and the \(K\)-theory of \(\mathbb{Z}\) (Q700295)

The authors calculate (modulo small primes) the cohomology of \(\Gamma=\text{GL}_5(\mathbb{Z})\) and \(\Gamma=\text{GL}_6(\mathbb{Z})\) with trivial coefficients. They show that \(K_5(\mathbb{Z})=\mathbb{Z}\) and \(K_6(\mathbb{Z})\) is a finite Abelian 3-group. In order to prove these results, they calculate, for small values of \(m\) and \(N\), the groups \(H_m(\text{GL}_N(\mathbb{Z}),\text{St}_N)\), where \(\text{St}_N\) is the Steinberg module of \(\text{SL}_N(\mathbb{Q})\). These homology groups, in turn, are calculated (modulo small primes) by expressing them is terms of the \(\Gamma\)-equivariant cohomology of the CW-pair \((X^*_N,\partial X_N^*)\), where \(X_N^*\) is a certain cell complex made out of positive real quadratic forms on \(\mathbb{R}^N\) (the Voronoï complex). In order to achieve these cohomology computations, computer calculations were required to enumerate appropriate \(\Gamma\)-orbits of \(n\)-cells of \(X_N^*\).