Configurations in abelian categories. II: Ringel-Hall algebras (Q875249)

Configurations in an abelian category \(A\) describe how objects of \(A\) decompose into subobjects. In the previous paper [Adv. Math. 203, No. 1, 194--255 (2006; Zbl 1102.14009)], the author had constructed moduli \(K\)-stacks \({\mathcal Obj}_A, M(I,\leq)_A\) for objects and \((I,\leq)\)-configurations in \(A\), where \(K\) is an algebraically closed base field of characteristic \(0\) and \((I,\leq)\) is a partially ordered finite set. In this paper, the author constructs \(\mathbb Q\)-vector spaces of constructible functions \(\text{CF}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) and stack functions \(\text{SF}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\). A constructible function on \({\mathcal Obj}_A\) is a \({\mathbb Q}\)-valued function \(f\) on the set of \(K\)-points \({\mathcal Obj}_A(K)\) such that \(f({\mathcal Obj}_A(K))\) is finite and for every nonzero \(c\in f({\mathcal Obj}_A(K))\), \(f^{-1}c\) is a finite union of \(K\)-points of a finite type algebraic substack of \({\mathcal Obj}_A\). An associative multiplication \(*\) is defined on \(\text{CF}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) (using pushforwards and pullbacks along \(1\)-morphisms) making it a \({\mathbb Q}\)-algebra and in fact a Lie algebra with \([f,g]=f*g-g*f\). It is shown that constructible functions supported on indecomposable objects of \(A\) (and having finite support) form a Lie-subalgebra \(\text{CF}^{\text{ind}}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) (resp. \(\text{CF}^{\text{ind}}_{\text{fin}}({\mathcal Obj}_A))\). For a quiver associated to a certain type of Dynkin diagram \(D\) and the category \(A\) of representations of this quiver, it is shown that \(\text{CF}^{\text{ind}}({\mathcal Obj}_A)= \text{CF}^{\text{ind}}_{\text{fin}}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\cong U(n_+)\) where \(U(n_+)\) is the enveloping algebra of the nilpotent subalgebra of the Kac-Moody algebra corresponding to the Dynkin diagram \(D\). Let \(f: F \to {\mathcal Obj}_A\) denote a \(1\)-morphism of \(K\)-stacks. The space \(\text{SF}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) of stack functions is the \({\mathbb Q}\)-vector space generated by equivalence classes \([F,f]\) of pairs with the relation \([F,f]=[G,f\mid_G]+[F/G,f\mid_f]\) for each substack \(G\) of \(F\). The author defines Lie algebra structure on \(\text{SF}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) and studies many (similarly defined) interesting Lie subalgebras like \(\text{SF}^{\text{ind}}({\mathcal Obj}_A), \text{SF}^{\text{ind}}_{\text{fin}}({\mathcal Obj}_A)\) of this stack algebra. For the category \(A\) of quiver representations described before, author constructs stack subalgebras which are isomorphic to (or quotients of) quantum groups \(U_l(n_+)\). When Ext\(^i(X,Y)=0\) for all \(X, Y \in A, i>1\) or \(A\) is the category of coherent sheaves on a Calabi-Yau \(3\)-fold, the author constructs various (Lie) algebra homomorphisms from stack algebras to certain explicit algebras. In the sequels to this paper the author defines stack functions parametrizing semistable objects in \(A\) and uses these algebra homomorphisms to obtain invariants of \(A\) in these explicit algebras [Part III: Adv. Math. 215, No. 1, 153--219 (2007; Zbl 1134.14007); Part IV: \texttt{math.AG/0410268}].