Simple proofs of classical explicit reciprocity laws on curves using determinant groupoids over an artinian local ring

Abstract

The notion of determinant groupoid is a natural outgrowth of the theory of the Sato Grassmannian and thus well-known in mathematical physics. We briefly sketch here a version of the theory of determinant groupoids over an artinian local ring, taking pains to put the theory in a simple concrete form suited to number-theoretical applications. We then use the theory to give a simple proof of a reciprocity law for the Contou-Carrère symbol. Finally, we explain how from the latter to recover various classical explicit reciprocity laws on nonsingular complete curves over an algebraically closed field, namely sum-of-residues-equals-zero, Weil reciprocity, and an explicit reciprocity law due to Witt. Needless to say, we have been much influenced by the work of Tate on sum-of-residues-equals-zero and the work of Arbarello-DeConcini-Kac on Weil reciprocity. We also build in an essential way on a previous work of the second-named author.