Finite projective module 2026-10-14
A finite projective module is a finitely generated module that is a projective module. Equivalently it is a direct summand of a finite free module: a finite free surjection splits by projectivity. Its dual module is finite projective and its evaluation map to its double dual module is an isomorphism, since both properties hold for finite free modules and pass to direct summands. Finite generation is needed for this elementary duality argument.
For a finite-dimensional symmetric algebra over any field, an indecomposable projective module has isomorphic simple head of a module and socle. A symmetrizing functional pairs with nondegenerately, identifying with the left dual module . Taking its socle gives . This dual of the right simple top and the left simple top belong to the same matrix block of the semisimple algebra , so they are isomorphic. The result does not require an algebraically closed ground field.
Invertible module 2026-10-14
An invertible module over a commutative ring is a finitely generated module that is a projective module and whose localization at a prime ideal is free of rank one at every prime. Its dual module is also finite projective. Evaluation is an isomorphism after every prime localization, hence is an isomorphism globally by localization detects zero elements. The Picard group of a ring consists of the isomorphism classes of these modules under the tensor product of modules.
An algebraic line bundle over is an invertible module: a finitely generated projective module such that for every prime ideal . Define the Picard group of a ring as the set of its isomorphism classes, with
The tensor product of modules of two finite projective modules is finite projective: write each as a direct summand of a finite free module and tensor the two decompositions. Localization gives , so this multiplication stays within the set of invertible modules. It is well defined on isomorphism classes. The associativity and symmetry isomorphisms of the tensor product give associativity and commutativity, and is the identity.
Let be the dual module. A finite direct-summand presentation shows that is finite projective and that localization commutes with this dual. Since is free of rank one, so is . The evaluation homomorphism
is an isomorphism after every prime localization. Its kernel and cokernel are therefore zero, by exactness of localization and localization detects zero elements for modules. Thus , proving that is an abelian group.
For a ring homomorphism , tensoring a split presentation gives , so is finite projective. For put . Every element of becomes a unit in , and
This proves base change of invertible modules. Moreover, the canonical map
is an isomorphism, with inverse . It shows that is a group homomorphism. Identity maps induce the identity, and for , the associativity isomorphism proves composition compatibility. Therefore is a covariant functor to abelian groups.
The polynomial ring is a principal ideal domain by division with remainder. A submodule of a finite free module over a principal ideal domain is free: induct on the ambient rank, project onto the first coordinate, and note that the image is a principal ideal, hence either zero or a free rank-one module. This gives a split exact sequence with that image as quotient; the kernel lies in a free module of one smaller rank, completing the induction. A finite projective module is such a submodule, and so is free. An invertible module has rank one after passing to the fraction field, so its free rank is exactly one. Hence every algebraic line bundle over is trivial and
Choose a surjection . Since is a Noetherian ring, a finite free module is a Noetherian module, and its kernel is a finitely generated module. Choose a finite free surjection and repeat. This constructs a resolution by finitely generated free modules
whose terms are, in particular, finitely generated projective modules. It may be infinite; the request is finite generation of every term, not finite length.
Now suppose the nonzero finitely generated module has finite projective dimension . For , its th syzygy in this free resolution is projective. Indeed, dimension shifting along the successive kernel sequences gives
for every module . The vanishing follows by computing the latter Ext functor from any length- projective resolution. Vanishing of makes every short exact sequence ending in split: apply the long exact sequence of Ext groups to a free surjection onto to lift its identity. Thus is a projective module. It is finitely generated by the preceding construction. Truncating gives
with every term finite projective.
Apply the Hom functor and write . At the top degree,
If this group were zero, would be surjective. The dual module of a finite projective module is finite projective, so this surjection has a section . Finite projective modules identify with their double dual modules: the evaluation map is an isomorphism for a finite free module and passes to its direct summands. Dualizing therefore gives . Hence splits, and is projective. Replacing the last two terms by this quotient shortens the projective resolution to length , contradicting minimality. This proves top Ext detects finite projective dimension:
For , is a nonzero finite projective module and embeds as a summand of . Some coordinate projection restricts nontrivially to , proving as required.
For infinite projective dimension, take the dual-number algebra and . Multiplication by has image and kernel both equal to , giving the periodic resolution over dual numbers
Applying makes every differential zero, so for every . A finite projective resolution would force all sufficiently high Ext functors to vanish. Thus .
The finite-generation hypothesis is essential if the middle sentence's “a module” is interpreted as an unrestricted new module. A concrete vanishing top Ext without finite generation occurs for and . This Noetherian ring has the exact free presentation
Injectivity of follows by examining the largest index of a finitely supported input, since is a non-zero-divisor. For exactness in the middle, use the relations to move a finite sum to its largest index ; its remaining coefficient is , which is zero precisely when its image in is zero. The map onto is surjective because every Laurent series has a lower bound on its exponents.
Applying gives on products the map . It is surjective: for any , set . These are well-defined formal power series, because each coefficient receives only finitely many contributions, and . Consequently . But : the image of every must lie in , since it is divisible by every power of . A nonzero projective module is a summand of a free module and therefore has a nonzero coordinate map to . Thus is not projective, while its displayed resolution has length one. In particular,
The nonvanishing conclusion proved above retains the finitely generated introduced at the start of the question.
The tensor differential. Use homological grading, so each differential lowers degree by one. The tensor product of chain complexes has
for . This Koszul sign rule gives
Thus the graded tensor product is a chain complex.
The Hom differential. Write . For a degree- element of this graded Hom complex of chain complexes, use the prescribed differential
The next application uses degree , so
In degree zero, , so its kernel consists exactly of chain maps. A degree-one element has , which is exactly the change between two chain maps related by a chain homotopy. Consequently
This is natural: precomposition and postcomposition by chain maps preserve both degree-zero cycles and degree-zero boundaries.
The dual complex and the sign adjustment. Define the reversed dual chain complex
Here is a functional on , so it belongs to , and . The absence of an additional sign in is intentional.
Interpret finite generation of the free chain complexes as finiteness of their total graded free modules. Then only finitely many degrees occur, and the finite-free evaluation isomorphisms assemble into a graded isomorphism
where , , and this component is zero outside . The dual module construction and evaluation make natural. Finite rank is needed for evaluation to be an isomorphism; finite total support also makes the sums on the tensor side agree with the products on the Hom functor side.
Under , the Hom functor differential has the form
The usual tensor product of chain complexes instead has second coefficient . Set
This is integer-valued for every , including negative , and satisfies . Conjugating the usual tensor differential by leaves the first term unchanged and changes its second coefficient to . Hence , giving the sign conjugation for the tensor-Hom identification
This is an isomorphism of chain complexes, not merely of their homology. If one instead assumes only degreewise finite rank with unbounded grading, the ordinary tensor need not identify with the product defining ; the finite-total convention is essential to this last conclusion.
We use left multiplication by . For an integral matrix of determinant , the Bezout identity gives a determinant-one row operation sending its first column to , where is the positive gcd of that column. The resulting matrix is with . Adding a multiple of the second row to the first makes .
These representatives are unique. Left multiplication by a unimodular matrix preserves the gcd of the first column, so two representatives in one orbit have the same and hence . A matrix taking to itself has the form , so it changes by ; the prescribed range makes unique. Thus the determinant-n matrix representatives for Hecke operators are exactly . In the printed set, already forces , and forces .
For positive determinant extend the slash operator for modular forms by
The determinant factor makes this a right action: . Right multiplication by permutes the left cosets represented by , since it preserves the set of determinant- integral matrices. Hence satisfies the modular transformation law. Its summands are holomorphic on the upper half-plane. For an upper-triangular representative,
Substitute the Fourier expansion of a modular form. The sum over is zero unless the original index is divisible by , in which case it equals . Writing that index as gives
Only nonnegative powers occur, so is holomorphic at infinity, and all level-one cusps are equivalent to infinity. We have proved and the Fourier coefficients of a composite-index Hecke operator formula
Here , giving . In particular cusp forms stay cusp forms. For nonzero level-one cusp forms the weight is an even integer at least twelve, so the powers are integers; the zero cusp space causes no exception. Thus every preserves integral Fourier coefficients, and closure under addition, multiplication and integer scalars proves
This is the integral Hecke algebra of level-one cusp forms.
We will also need commutativity. The coefficient formula directly gives
For the first identity, the divisors of and in the iterated coefficient sum combine uniquely into a divisor of . For the second, write a coefficient index as with ; the formula is
Applying splits this into the two sums with shifts and ; their overlapping terms give exactly the stated recurrence. Since is the identity, induction expresses each as a polynomial in , and coprime multiplicativity expresses every as a product of these polynomials. Distinct prime operators commute by the coprime identity. Hence all Hecke operators commute, and so do all elements of .
Let and . In the permitted basis , the modular discriminant begins and the normalized Eisenstein series begin , so
The matrix of on this integral basis is unitriangular and has determinant one. Integer elimination therefore gives an integral basis with for . Thus are a -basis of the dual module .
The map is well-defined by lattice preservation and is -linear. Because , it is surjective. For injectivity suppose . For every and every , commutativity gives
The constant term is also zero because is a cusp form. The identity theorem applied to its Fourier expansion of a modular form gives . The integral basis spans the complex cusp space, so as an endomorphism. This proves the perfect integral Hecke pairing and
If , both modules are zero and the asserted basis is empty.
Reversed dual chain complex Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
The reversed dual module of a chain complex becomes a chain complex with the unsigned precomposition differential above. A functional on is sent to a functional on , lowering the reversed degree by one.