For an ample line bundle on a noetherian scheme , every coherent sheaf becomes a globally generated sheaf after tensoring with for all sufficiently large . Finitely many global sections suffice by finite global generation on a quasi-compact scheme. This is the global-generation characterization of an ample line bundle.[ref]
For a closed subscheme of projective space, take . One way to see why twisting helps is to choose finitely many module generators on each standard affine open subscheme. Multiplication by a sufficiently high power of its homogeneous coordinate extends each generator to a global section of a twist. Choose one exponent for all generators. On the original chart that coordinate is invertible, so these extended sections still generate; doing this for every chart proves global generation. Tensoring back by the inverse invertible sheaf gives a surjection from a finite direct sum of sheaves of negative twists onto .
Write over its ground field; the argument also works over any Noetherian affine base. Since is a closed immersion, is a noetherian scheme and a quasi-compact scheme. Let
Here the pullback of a sheaf of modules makes an invertible sheaf, the restriction of the twisting sheaf on projective space. It is an ample line bundle.
By global generation by sufficiently positive twists, choose such that is a globally generated sheaf. Finitely many global sections suffice: at each point, finite generation of the stalk of the coherent sheaf lets us select finitely many generating germs of global sections. Those sections generate on a neighbourhood, because their cokernel sheaf is a coherent sheaf with zero stalk at that point. A finite subcover, using that is a quasi-compact scheme, supplies finitely many global sections generating everywhere. This is finite global generation on a quasi-compact scheme, and gives a surjective sheaf morphism
Tensor with , where is the dual of a sheaf. Here tensoring with an invertible sheaf is exact: locally the tensor product of sheaves is tensoring with a free module of rank one. Using the permitted identity , we obtain
A finite direct sum of sheaves of invertible sheaves is a locally free sheaf of finite rank, and it is a coherent sheaf on the noetherian scheme . This constructs the required . No regularity or smoothness assumption on is needed.
Let be a separated Noetherian scheme over a field and a coherent sheaf. Coherent cohomology studies the groups : global sections in degree zero and the obstructions to gluing local sections in higher degrees. Coherence means finite generation locally, and on a Noetherian scheme it is preserved by kernels, cokernels and extensions. This makes coherent sheaves suitable for exact-sequence calculations.
For an ordered open cover , the Čech cochain groups are
with differential
Each double omission occurs twice with opposite signs, so . The Čech cohomology of the cover is , and taking the direct limit over refinements defines cover-independent Čech cohomology. In degree zero the sheaf gluing axiom identifies it with .
The comparison with derived-functor sheaf cohomology is particularly effective algebraically. Positive-degree cohomology of a quasi-coherent sheaf on an affine scheme vanishes. A separated scheme has affine intersections of affine opens, so a finite affine cover is acyclic for . Its Čech cochain complex consequently computes directly. For a short exact sequence of sheaves, sections over each affine intersection are exact on quasi-coherent sheaves. The resulting short exact sequence of Čech complexes gives the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology. In particular, the connecting map measures the failure of a global section of the quotient to lift globally.
Several central projective results make the theory finite and computable. On a projective variety over , every coherent cohomology group is finite-dimensional. The Grothendieck vanishing theorem gives for . If is ample, Serre vanishing gives for sufficiently large , and these large twists are globally generated sheaves. On projective space a coherent sheaf has a finite twisting resolution of a coherent sheaf on projective space: finite sums of resolve it. The explicit line-bundle cohomology below and the long exact sequences prove finiteness and positive-twist vanishing. For a closed embedding , is coherent and , reducing these results to projective space. A sufficiently positive twist of a finite presentation by sums of also proves global generation.
The Euler characteristic of a coherent sheaf
is therefore defined, and the long exact sequence makes it additive. With a fixed projective embedding, is its Hilbert polynomial, and for sufficiently large it equals . On a smooth projective variety of dimension , Serre duality gives, for a vector bundle ,
For an arbitrary coherent sheaf the correct counterpart is ; replacing this Ext group indiscriminately by the cohomology of the ordinary sheaf dual would lose local extension information.
We now calculate the basic examples. For , use the standard cover of . Sections of on an intersection are degree- Laurent monomials in which negative exponents are allowed only for coordinates inverted on that intersection. Decompose the Čech cochain complex by exponent vectors with sum . If no exponent is negative, the corresponding simplex complex contributes only in degree zero. If all exponents are negative, the monomial occurs only on the full intersection and contributes only in degree . When the negative-index set is nonempty and proper, inserting any index outside it gives a contracting homotopy, so the monomial complex is acyclic. Hence the cohomology of twisting sheaves on projective space is
In the top group a basis consists of the Laurent monomials with every exponent at most . Writing reduces the count to nonnegative solutions of , giving the displayed binomial coefficient. In particular, all intermediate cohomology vanishes, and agrees with Serre duality. For separately, every twist is trivial and .
On the projective line this gives
Thus positive and negative degrees produce quite different groups, while their alternating difference is a single polynomial. The twisted cubic is isomorphic to and its hyperplane bundle corresponds to . Consequently for , agreeing with Q2, and .
For a smooth plane curve of degree , the ideal-sheaf sequence of a projective hypersurface is
The long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and the preceding formula give and . Therefore
For this is zero; for a plane cubic it is one. Twisting the same exact sequence gives . These examples illustrate how Čech cohomology, vanishing, Serre duality and exact sequences convert local equations into global numerical invariants.