arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Matthias Wendt.
Over suitable base fields $k$ of characteristic not $2$, including algebraically closed ones, we construct universal abelian $\underline{\operatorname{K}}^{\operatorname{MW}}_2$-coverings for complements of closed embeddings $\mathbb{A}^1 \hookrightarrow \mathbb{A}^3$. Using these, we obtain a rectifiability invariant of such embeddings by lifting knot-theoretic ideas to algebraic geometry via motivic homotopy theory.
In this paper, we study equivariant real cycle class maps for group actions on real schemes, with a view toward Witt-sheaf characteristic classes. The cycle class maps take values in singular cohomology of the real points of the quotient stack, which are identified with the homotopy fixed-points of complex conjugation on the complex points. This provides a strong relation between Witt-sheaf cohomology of the geometric classifying space of a real algebraic group and the singular cohomology of the classifying spaces of its strong real forms, which we discuss in a number of examples. As a sample application, we compute the number of Witt-sheaf cohomological invariants of spin groups over the reals.
In the present paper, we use discrete Morse theory to provide a new implementation of torsion subcomplex reduction for arithmetic groups. This leads both to a simpler algorithm as well as runtime improvements. To demonstrate the technique, we compute the mod 2 Farrell-Tate cohomology of PSL(4,Z).
In this paper we compute the Chow--Witt rings of the classifying space ${\rm BSL}_n^c$ of quadratically oriented vector bundles of rank $n$. We also discuss the corresponding quadratically-oriented cobordism spectrum ${\rm MSL}^c$ and show that it is equivalent to $\rm{MSL}$ after inverting $\eta$.
We investigate the existence of 4-torsion in the integral cohomology of oriented Grassmannians. We prove a general criterion for the appearance of 4-torsion classes based on (twisted) Steenrod squares and show that there are many cases where this criterion is satisfied for minimal-degree anomalous classes, assuming a conjecture on the characteristic rank. We also establish the upper bound in the characteristic rank conjecture for oriented Grassmannians $\tilde{Gr}_k(n)$, and prove the equality in the cases $k=5, n=2^t-1,2^t$ and $k=6, n=2^t$. This provides infinitely many examples of oriented Grassmannians having 4-torsion in their integral cohomology. On the way, we clarify the relation between minimal-degree anomalous classes and results of Stong on the height of the first Stiefel-Whitney class $w_1$ in the mod 2 cohomology of real Grassmannians, for which we give an independent proof. We also establish some bounds on torsion exponents for the integral cohomology of oriented flag manifolds. Based on these findings and further computational evidence, we formulate a conjectural relationship between the torsion exponent in the integral cohomology of homogeneous spaces and their deficiency.
We study the structure of mod 2 cohomology rings of oriented Grassmannians $\tilde{\operatorname{Gr}}_k(n)$ of oriented $k$-planes in $\mathbb{R}^n$. Our main focus is on the structure of the cohomology ring ${\rm H}^*(\tilde{\operatorname{Gr}}_k(n);\mathbb{F}_2)$ as a module over the characteristic subring $C$, which is the subring generated by the Stiefel-Whitney classes $w_2,\ldots, w_k$. We identify this module structure using Koszul complexes, which involves the syzygies between the relations defining $C$. We give an infinite family of such syzygies, which results in a new upper bound on the characteristic rank of $\tilde{\operatorname{Gr}}_k(2^t)$, and formulate a conjecture on the exact value of the characteristic rank of $\tilde{\operatorname{Gr}}_k(n)$. For the case $k=3$, we use the Koszul complex to compute a presentation of the cohomology ring $H={\rm H}^*(\tilde{\operatorname{Gr}}_3(n);\mathbb{F}_2)$ for $2^{t-1} 3$, supported by computer calculation.
The paper computes the Witt-sheaf cohomology rings of partial flag varieties in type A in terms of the Pontryagin classes of the subquotient bundles. The proof is based on a Leray-Hirsch-type theorem for Witt-sheaf cohomology for the maximal rank cases, and a detailed study of cohomology ring presentations and annihilators of characteristic classes for the general case. The computations have consequences for the topology of real flag manifolds: we show that all torsion in the integral cohomology is 2-torsion, which was not known in full generality previously. This allows for example to compute the Poincar\'e polynomials of complete flag varieties for cohomology with twisted integer coefficients. The computations also allow to describe the Chow-Witt rings of flag varieties, and we sketch an enumerative application to counting flags satisfying multiple incidence conditions to given hypersurfaces.
The goal of the present paper is to push forward the frontiers of computations on Farrell-Tate cohomology for arithmetic groups. The conjugacy classification of cyclic subgroups is reduced to the classification of modules of group rings over suitable rings of integers which are principal ideal domains, generalizing an old result of Reiner. As an example of the number-theoretic input required for the Farrell-Tate cohomology computations, we discuss in detail the homological torsion in PGL(3) over principal ideal rings of quadratic integers, accompanied by machine computations in the imaginary quadratic case.
In this paper, we study the Nisnevich sheafification $\mathcal{H}^1_{\acute{e}t}(G)$ of the presheaf associating to a smooth scheme the set of isomorphism classes of $G$-torsors, for a reductive group $G$. We show that if $G$-torsors on affine lines are extended, then $\mathcal{H}^1_{\acute{e}t}(G)$ is homotopy invariant and show that the sheaf is unramified if and only if Nisnevich-local purity holds for $G$-torsors. We also identify the sheaf $\mathcal{H}^1_{\acute{e}t}(G)$ with the sheaf of $\mathbb{A}^1$-connected components of the classifying space ${\rm B}_{\acute{e}t}G$. This establishes the homotopy invariance of the sheaves of components as conjectured by Morel. It moreover provides a computation of the sheaf of $\mathbb{A}^1$-connected components in terms of unramified $G$-torsors over function fields whenever Nisnevich-local purity holds for $G$-torsors.
The classical cycle class map for a smooth complex variety sends cycles in the Chow ring to cycles in the singular cohomology ring. We study two cycle class maps for smooth real varieties: the map from the I-cohomology ring to singular cohomology induced by the signature, and a new cycle class map defined on the Chow-Witt ring. For both maps, we establish basic compatibility results like compatibility with pullbacks, pushforwards and cup products. As a first application of these general results, we show that both cycle class maps are isomorphisms for cellular varieties.
We complement our previous computation of the Chow-Witt rings of classifying spaces of special linear groups by an analogous computation for the general linear groups. This case involves discussion of non-trivial dualities. The computation proceeds along the lines of the classical computation of the integral cohomology of ${\rm BO}(n)$ with local coefficients, as done by Cadek. The computations of Chow-Witt rings of classifying spaces of ${\rm GL}_n$ are then used to compute the Chow-Witt rings of the finite Grassmannians. As before, the formulas are close parallels of the formulas describing integral cohomology rings of real Grassmannians.
We compute the Chow-Witt rings of the classifying spaces for the symplectic and special linear groups. In the structural description we give, contributions from real and complex realization are clearly visible. In particular, the computation of cohomology with $\mathbf{I}^j$-coefficients is done closely along the lines of Brown's computation of integral cohomology for special orthogonal groups. The computations for the symplectic groups show that Chow-Witt groups are a symplectically oriented ring cohomology theory. Using our computations for special linear groups, we also discuss the question when an oriented vector bundle of odd rank splits off a trivial summand.
We provide some new computations of Farrell--Tate and Bredon (co)homology for arithmetic groups. For calculations of Farrell--Tate or Bredon homology, one needs cell complexes wherecell stabilizers fix their cells pointwise. We provide two algorithms computing an efficient subdivision of a complex to achieve this rigidity property. Applying these algorithms to available cell complexes for PSL4(Z) provides computations of Farrell--Tate cohomology for small primes as well as the Bredon homology for the classifying spaces of proper actions with coefficients in the complex representation ring.
For every prime $p$, Mohan Kumar constructed examples of stably free modules of rank $p$ on suitable $(p+1)$-dimensional smooth affine varieties. This note discusses how to detect the corresponding unimodular rows in motivic cohomology. Using the recent developments in the $\mathbb{A}^1$-obstruction classification of vector bundles, this provides an alternative proof of non-triviality of Mohan Kumar's stably free modules. The reinterpretation of Mohan Kumar's examples also allows to produce interesting examples of stably trivial torsors for other algebraic groups.
The paper provides computations of the first non-vanishing $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy sheaves of the orthogonal Stiefel varieties which are relevant for the unstable isometry classification of quadratic forms over smooth affine schemes over perfect fields of characteristic $\neq 2$. Together with the $\mathbb{A}^1$-representability for quadratic forms, this provides the first obstructions for rationally trivial quadratic forms to split off a hyperbolic plane. For even-rank quadratic forms, this first obstruction is a refinement of the Euler class of Edidin and Graham. A couple of consequences are discussed, such as improved splitting results over algebraically closed base fields as well as examples where the obstructions are nontrivial.
We consider categories of equivariant mixed Tate motives, where equivariant is understood in the sense of Borel. We give the two usual definitions of equivariant motives, via the simplicial Borel construction and via algebraic approximations of it. The definitions turn out to be equivalent and give rise to a full six-functor formalism. For rational étale motives over a finite field or the homotopical stable algebraic derivator arising from the semisimplified Hodge realization, the equivariant mixed Tate motives provide a graded version of the equivariant derived category. We show that, in sufficiently nice and clean cases, these categories admit weight structures; moreover, a tilting result holds which identifies the category of equivariant mixed Tate motives with the bounded homotopy category of the heart of its weight structure. This can be seen as a formality result for equivariant derived categories. We also discuss convolution functors on equivariant mixed Tate motives, and consequences for the categorification of the Hecke algebra and some of its modules.
We apply the previous calculations of Chow-Witt rings of Grassmannians to develop an oriented analogue of the classical Schubert calculus. As a result, we get complete diagrammatic descriptions of the ring structure in Chow-Witt rings and twisted Witt groups. In the resulting arithmetic refinements of Schubert calculus, the multiplicity of a solution subspace is a quadratic form encoding additional orientation information. We also discuss a couple of applications, such as a Chow-Witt version of the signed count of balanced subspaces of Fehér and Matszangosz.
We give a streamlined proof of ${\mathbb A}^1$-representability for $G$-torsors under "isotropic" reductive groups, extending previous results in this sequence of papers to finite fields. We then analyze a collection of group homomorphisms that yield fiber sequences in ${\mathbb A}^1$-homotopy theory, and identify the final examples of motivic spheres that arise as homogeneous spaces for reductive groups.