Derived equivalences of K3 surfaces and orientation (Q731745)

The second cohomology \(H^2(X,\mathbb{Z})\) of a complex K3 surface \(X\) is an even unimodular lattice of signature \((3,19)\) equipped with a weight-two Hodge structure. \textit{S. K. Donaldson} proved [Topology 29, No. 3, 257--315 (1990; Zbl 0715.57007)] that any diffeomorphism of \(X\) has the property that the induced isometry \(\rho\) on \(H^2(X,\mathbb{Z})\) is orientation-preserving, roughly meaning that, if \(F\) is a positive three-space in \(H^2(X,\mathbb{R})\), then a given orientation on \(F\) coincides with the image of this orientation on \(\rho(F)\). The paper under review is concerned with an analogue of the above result in the context of derived categories. Namely, it is known that any auto-equivalence of the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves \({\text D}^{\text b}(X)\) induces a Hodge isometry of the Mukai lattice \(\tilde{H}(X,\mathbb{Z})\), which is the full cohomology \(H^*(X,\mathbb{Z})\) endowed with a modification of the intersection pairing obtained by introducing a sign in the pairing of \(H^0\) and \(H^4\). This is now a lattice of signature \((4,20)\), and, as before, one can define the notion of an orientation-preserving isometry of \(\tilde{H}(X,\mathbb{Z})\). The main result of this paper is that the Hodge isometry induced by an auto-equivalence of \({\text D}^{\text b}(X)\) is orientation-preserving. Since any orientation-preserving isometry is induced by an auto-equivalence, this completely determines the image of the map \(\text{Aut}({\text D}^{\text b}(X))\rightarrow O(\tilde{H}(X,\mathbb{Z}))\). Very roughly, the idea of the proof is to deform the Fourier-Mukai kernel of a given auto-equivalence to get an auto-equivalence between generic K3 surfaces. For the latter, the assertion was proved by the authors [Compos. Math. 144, No. 1, 134--162 (2008; Zbl 1152.14037)]. Since the action on the Mukai lattice stays constant under deformation, this proves the assertion. The paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, the authors show, using results from their paper [Comment. Math. Helv. 86, No. 1, 41--71 (2011; Zbl 1215.18015)], that, for a formal twistor deformation associated to a very general Kähler class, the bounded derived category of the general fibre has only one spherical object up to shift. This makes it possible to apply results from the paper mentioned in the previous paragraph. Section 3 deals with the deformation theory of kernels of Fourier-Mukai equivalences and uses the language of Hochschild cohomology. Finally, in Section 4, the authors show the triviality of the first- and all the higher-order obstructions, and conclude the proof of the main result in Section 4.4.