Flasque sheaf

A sheaf is flasque when every restriction map is surjective. Flasque sheaves are acyclic for global sections, so $H^i(X,\mathcal{F})=0$ for $i>0$.

For a Noetherian ring $A$, an injective module $I$ gives a flasque sheaf on $\mathrm{Spec}A$. If $U=\mathrm{Spec}A\setminus V(\mathfrak{a})$, clearing denominators on finitely many principal opens identifies $\Gamma (U,\tilde{I})$ with ${\underrightarrow{\lim }}_n{\mathrm{Hom}}_A({\mathfrak{a}}^n,I)$. Each map extends to $A$ by injectivity. Thus every section on $U$ extends globally, and all restriction maps are surjective. This concerns sheafification of an injective module, rather than the different assertion that an injective sheaf of modules is flasque.

For a short exact sequence of sheaves with flasque sheaf kernel, every section of the quotient on any open set lifts to the middle sheaf on that set. Use the Zorn lemma to choose a maximal partial lift, with chains glued by the sheaf gluing axiom. A new local lift differs from the old one on their overlap by a kernel section. Extend that difference by flasqueness, adjust the new lift, and glue, contradicting maximality unless its domain is the entire open set. Consequently a quotient of two flasque sheaves is flasque. With an injective resolution of sheaves, the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and repeated dimension shifts prove that flasque sheaves have zero positive-degree cohomology.

A flasque resolution is an exact sequence of sheaves of abelian groups whose terms ${\mathcal{I}}^j$ are flasque sheaves. Every such sheaf embeds by its section germs into the sheaf $U\mapsto {\prod }_{P\in U}{\mathcal{F}}_P$. Its restriction maps are projections, so it is flasque. Apply this construction successively to the cokernels to obtain a resolution. The sheaf cohomology of $\mathcal{F}$ is the cohomology of the cochain complex $\Gamma (X,{\mathcal{I}}^{\bullet })$. A quotient of two flasque sheaves in a short exact sequence of sheaves is flasque: the flasque kernel allows local lifts to be glued into a section of the middle sheaf over the smaller open set; extend that lift using flasqueness of the middle sheaf, and project. Consequently the resolution's successive cokernels are flasque when $\mathcal{F}$ is flasque, and exactness of sections shows that all its positive-degree cohomology vanishes.

Embed a sheaf of abelian groups $\mathcal{F}$ into the sheaf $C(\mathcal{F})(U)={\prod }_{P\in U}{\mathcal{F}}_P$ by all its germs. Restrictions are projections, so $C(\mathcal{F})$ is flasque. Repeat on the successive sheaf cokernels to obtain a canonical flasque resolution. Its complex of global sections computes sheaf cohomology. When $\mathcal{F}$ is itself flasque, the flasque-kernel section-lifting lemma makes every successive quotient flasque and makes the global-section complex exact in positive degrees, proving $H^q(X,\mathcal{F})=0$ for $q>0$ without assuming that vanishing in the construction.