Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/iii/paper-14/1/a/solution

Put , the quotient sheaf of abelian groups. At a closed point , the discrete valuation gives an isomorphism
Indeed, a local parameter on a smooth algebraic curve has valuation one, and the valuation kernel is precisely the unit group of the discrete valuation ring. Thus a local section represented by determines its local principal divisor, and changing by a regular function which is a unit does not change those coefficients.
These local valuations identify with . To see that they give finite support, represent a section locally by finitely many rational functions on an algebraic variety, using Noetherian Zariski topology to take a finite cover. Each representative has only finitely many zeros and poles, so their combined support is finite. Conversely, for , choose at each support point a local parameter and shrink its neighbourhood to exclude every other zero or pole of and every other support point. The local rational equation represents the desired valuations there; on the complement of the support use . On overlaps these equations differ by units, so their classes glue in the quotient sheaf. Finally, a section with every valuation zero has zero germ everywhere and is the identity section. Hence the identification is both surjective and injective.
The map on global sections sends to . Therefore its cokernel is

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