On the motivic class of the stack of bundles (Q884433)

Let \(k\) be a field. The ring \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) is generated by the symbols \(\mu(X)\) where \(X\) is the isomorphism class of a variety over \(k\) subjected to all relations \[ \mu(X)= \mu(X- Z)+\mu(Z) \] for \(Z\) closed in \(X\). The class \(\mu(X)\) is called the motive of \(X\). The ring structure on \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) is induced by the Cartesian product of varieties. Let \(\mathbb{L}\) be the class of the affine line in \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\). The ring \(\widehat K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) is obtained from \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) by considering the ring filtration given by \(F^mK_0({\mathcal V}_k)_{\mathbb{L}}\), where \[ K_0({\mathcal V}_k)_{\mathbb{L}}= K_0({\mathcal V}_k)[1/\mathbb{L}] \] and \(F^mK_0({\mathcal V}_k)_{\mathbb{L}}\) is generated by symbols of the forms \({\mu(X)\over\mathbb{L}^n}\), with \(\dim X- n\leq m\). Then \(\widehat K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) is the completion of \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) with respect to this filtration. Any principal \(\text{GL}_n\)-bundle \(P\to X\) is locally trivial in the Zariski topology, hence \(\mu(P)= \mu(X)\mu(\text{GL}_n)\) in \(K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\). Therefore one can define a class \(\mu({\mathcal X})\in\widehat K_0({\mathcal V}_k)\) whenever \({\mathcal X}\) is an algebraic stack stratified by global quotients. Assume that \(G\) is a split connected semisimple group: the paper contains a conjectural formula for the motivic class \(\mu({\mathcal X})\) of the stack of \(G\)-bundles over a curve \(C\) in terms of special values of the motivic zeta function of \(C\). If \(k\) is a finite field the formula yields a statement equivalent to a conjecture of Weil. If \(k=\mathbb{C}\) by appliying Poincaré characteristic it is possible to show that the conjecture is true in the simply connected case. If \(k=\mathbb{F}_q\) then the conjecture reduces to a theorem of Harder and Ono which asserts that the Tamagawa number of \(G\) is the cardinality of the fundamental group of \(G\). The conjecture also holds in the case \(G= \text{SL}_n\) and in the case \(C= \mathbb{P}^1\).