Daniel Quillen's definition of the higher algebraic K-groups of a ring emphasized the importance of computing the homology of groups of matrices. This text traces the development of this theory from Quillen's fundamental calculation. It presents the stability theorems and low-dimensional results of A. Suslin, W. van der Kallen and others are presented. Coverage also examines the Friedlander-Milnor-conjecture concerning the homology of algebraic groups made discrete.
Developments in Mathematics is a book series devoted to all areas of mathematics, pure and applied. The series emphasizes research monographs describing the latest advances. Edited volumes that focus on areas that have seen dramatic progress, or are of special interest, are encouraged as well.
Aimed at second year graduate students, this text introduces them to cohomology theory (involving a rich interplay between algebra and topology) with a minimum of prerequisites. No homological algebra is assumed beyond what is normally learned in a first course in algebraic topology, and the basics of the subject, as well as exercises, are given prior to discussion of more specialized topics.
For more than thirty years the senior author has been trying to learn algebraic geometry. In the process he discovered that many of the classic textbooks in algebraic geometry require substantial knowledge of cohomology, homological algebra, and sheaf theory. In an attempt to demystify these abstract concepts and facilitate understanding for a new generation of mathematicians, he along with co-author wrote this book for an audience who is familiar with basic concepts of linear and abstract algebra, but who never has had any exposure to the algebraic geometry or homological algebra. As such this book consists of two parts. The first part gives a crash-course on the homological and cohomological aspects of algebraic topology, with a bias in favor of cohomology. The second part is devoted to presheaves, sheaves, Cech cohomology, derived functors, sheaf cohomology, and spectral sequences. All important concepts are intuitively motivated and the associated proofs of the quintessential theorems are presented in detail rarely found in the standard texts.
This book features a series of lectures that explores three different fields in which functor homology (short for homological algebra in functor categories) has recently played a significant role. For each of these applications, the functor viewpoint provides both essential insights and new methods for tackling difficult mathematical problems. In the lectures by Aurélien Djament, polynomial functors appear as coefficients in the homology of infinite families of classical groups, e.g. general linear groups or symplectic groups, and their stabilization. Djament’s theorem states that this stable homology can be computed using only the homology with trivial coefficients and the manageable functor homology. The series includes an intriguing development of Scorichenko’s unpublished results. The lectures by Wilberd van der Kallen lead to the solution of the general cohomological finite generation problem, extending Hilbert’s fourteenth problem and its solution to the context of cohomology. The focus here is on the cohomology of algebraic groups, or rational cohomology, and the coefficients are Friedlander and Suslin’s strict polynomial functors, a conceptual form of modules over the Schur algebra. Roman Mikhailov’s lectures highlight topological invariants: homoto py and homology of topological spaces, through derived functors of polynomial functors. In this regard the functor framework makes better use of naturality, allowing it to reach calculations that remain beyond the grasp of classical algebraic topology. Lastly, Antoine Touzé’s introductory course on homological algebra makes the book accessible to graduate students new to the field. The links between functor homology and the three fields mentioned above offer compelling arguments for pushing the development of the functor viewpoint. The lectures in this book will provide readers with a feel for functors, and a valuable new perspective to apply to their favourite problems.
