scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1754397

(K)-theory of global fields (11R70) (K)-theory of local fields (11S70) Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to (K)-theory (19-01) Grothendieck groups and (K_0) (19Axx) Whitehead groups and (K_1) (19Bxx) Steinberg groups and (K_2) (19Cxx) (K)-theory in number theory (19Fxx)

Review text

Algebraic \(K\)-theory associates to rings \(R\) a sequence \(K_n(R)\) of abelian groups, starting with Grothendieck's \(K_0(R)\), which generalizes structures such as ideal class groups, Witt rings, or Brauer groups. The next term \(K_1(R)\), connected with the names of Whitehead and Bass, is closely related to the unit group of \(R\). Building on work by Steinberg, Milnor defined \(K_2(R)\), a group with connections to central notions from algebraic number theory such as reciprocity laws, Brauer groups, and zeta functions. The `higher \(K\)-groups' defined by Quillen can only be understood after introducing concepts from algebraic topology and cohomology, and are not treated in this book, which concentrates on the algebraic theory of \(K_n(R)\) for \(n = 0, 1, 2\). At first sight, 8 out of the 16 chapters of this book are devoted to studying \(K_0(R)\); this is, however, mostly due to the fact that the first five chapters carefully introduce the notions from (homological) algebra needed in the sequel: free and projective modules, categories, exact sequences, resolutions, and tensor products. After defining \(K_0(R)\), relations to number theory (Dedekind domains, ideal class groups, Steinitz modules) and to representation theory are worked out in detail. The next part deals with \(K_1(R)\) with an emphasis on stability results, congruence subgroups and Mennicke symbols; the Grothendieck group \(K_1({\mathcal C})\) of a category \({\mathcal C}\) with exact sequences is introduced early on, and it is shown that \(K_1(R)\) coincides with \(K_1({\mathcal C})\) for the category \({\mathcal C} = {\mathcal P}(R)\) (\({\mathcal C} = {\mathcal F}(R)\)) of finitely generated projective (resp. free) \(R\)-modules. Finally, Steinberg groups are used to define \(K_2(R)\); the relative and the Mayer-Vietoris sequences are defined and proved, other topics treated are tame symbols, Milnor's \(K\)-theory, and the fundamental theorem of Matsumoto. The book concludes with chapters on symbols in arithmetic and on Brauer groups. Prerequisites are kept at a minimum: a familiarity with the basic notions of algebra is sufficient, although students will need some maturity to be able to digest the abstract notions. The presentation is clear, and each chapter contains exercises and occasional historical remarks. In spirit, the book is close to \textit{J. R. Silvester}'s book [``Introduction to algebraic K-theory (1981; Zbl 0468.18006)], now out of print; the overall structure of Magurn's book is, however, much clearer than Silvester's, and it contains a lot more material. It is also closer to the heart of number theorists than \textit{J. Rosenberg}'s [``Algebraic K-theory and its applications (1994; Zbl 0801.19001)]. Summing up, this is a well written introduction to the theory of the algebraic \(K\)-groups \(K_0\), \(K_1\), and \(K_2\); the author has done a wonderful job in presenting the material in a clear way that will be accessible to readers with a modest background in algebra.

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