Negative K-theory of varieties with isolated singularities (Q801124)

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the lower K-theory of varieties with isolated singularities. For purposes of simplicity, we view the lower K-theory of local rings to be given, even though this is still the subject of active research. Throughout this review, X will be a reduced quasiprojective variety for which \(Y=Sing(X)\) is finite. The first result is a local global principle: Let F be either \(K_ j\) for some \(j\leq -2\) or else \(N^ iK_ j\) or \(i\neq 0\), and let \({\mathcal F}\) denote the associated sheaf on X. Then \(F(X)=H^ 0(X,{\mathcal F})=\coprod_{y\in Y}F({\mathcal O}_{X,y}).\) As an application, note the immediate corollary that: \(K_ j(X[t_ 1,...,t_ n])/K_ j(X)\cong \coprod K_ j({\mathcal O}_{X,y}[t_ 1,...,t_ n])/K_ j({\mathcal O}_{X,y}).\) In particular, when \(X=Spec(A)\) has isolated singularities, the case \(j=0\) is a strengthening of Quillen's stable patching theorem that a projective \(A[t_ 1,...,t_ n]\)-module P is stably extended from an A-module if and only if each \(P\times A_ m\) is stably free. - The second main result is that \(K_{-1}(X)\) has a filtration, whose associated graded groups are \(H^ 0(X,K_{-1})=\coprod K_{-1}\) (local rings of X); \(H^ 1(X,K_ 0)=a\) finite direct sum of copies of \({\mathbb{Z}}\); \(H^ 2(X,K_{+1})\), a group related (in a way described in the paper) to the divisor class groups of the local rings of X; etc. Finally, an example is given of a 2-dimensional normal domain A with \(K_{-1}(A)=H^ 2(Spec(A),K_ 1)={\mathbb{Z}}/2\). This is the first example of a normal ring for which \(K_{-1}\) is nonzero yet completely computed. In addition, it is the first example where all \(K_{-1}(A_ m)=0\) but \(K_{-1}(A)\neq 0\). Based on the computations in this paper, the author has shown that there is a spectral sequence \(E_ 2^{pq}=H^ p(X,K_{-q})\Rightarrow K_{-p-q}(X)\) whenever X has isolated singularities [see the author, ''A Brown-Gersten spectral sequence for the K-theory of varieties with isolated singularities'', Adv. Math. (to appear)]. The edge of this spectral sequence yields the filtration in \(K_{-1}(X)\) described above. However, the construction of the spectral sequence is very indirect. The elementary presentation in the present paper is better at illuminating the underlying structure of \(K_{-1}(X)\).