Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / iii / Paper 118 / 4

For the usual additive Čech cohomology groups, $\mathcal{F}$ is understood to be a sheaf of abelian groups. Order the index set of the open cover $\mathfrak{U}=(U_i)$. The Čech cochain group isAn empty intersection contributes the zero group. The Čech coboundary is the alternating sum of restriction maps:Every double omission appears twice with opposite sign, so ${\delta }^2=0$. The Čech cohomology is the cohomology of this cochain complex:Here ${\check{C}}^{-1}=0$. The sheaf gluing axiom identifies ${\check{H}}^0(\mathfrak{U},\mathcal{F})$ with $\Gamma (X,\mathcal{F})$. This definition is for the fixed cover; no limit over refinements is part of the group requested here. Without the abelian-group structure, this additive Čech cochain complex is not defined.

The two opens are $U_1=\mathbb{C}\times {\mathbb{C}}^{\ast }$ and $U_2={\mathbb{C}}^{\ast }\times \mathbb{C}$; their intersection is $({\mathbb{C}}^{\ast }{)}^2$. There is just one degree-one term in the Čech cochain complex, and no degree-two term. The Čech coboundary sends $(g_1,g_2)$ to $g_2-g_1$, soThe denominator denotes the sum of the restricted function spaces.

To make the quotient explicit, expand a holomorphic function on the intersection in a normally convergent two-variable Laurent series,The terms with $m\ge 0$ extend to $U_1$. Of the remaining terms, those with $n\ge 0$ extend to $U_2$. Both subseries converge normally on their stated domains, by the coefficient bounds from the Cauchy integral formula. The unique remaining representative is the doubly negative partNo nonzero series of this form lies in the denominator, since a function on $U_1$ has no negative $z_1$ exponents and a function on $U_2$ has no negative $z_2$ exponents.

Writing $w_i=z_i^{-1}$, these representatives are exactly $w_1{w}_{2}F(w_1,w_2)$ with $F$ an entire holomorphic function on ${\mathbb{C}}^2$. To see that $F$ is entire, integrate for the coefficients on arbitrarily small product circles: $|a_{-i,-j}|\le M(r_1,r_2)r_1^i{r}_2^j$. Choosing $r_i{R}_i<1$ gives absolute convergence for $|w_i|\le R_i$, for every finite pair $R_i$. Conversely every such entire $F$ supplies a normally convergent representative on the intersection. Therefore the quotient consists of convergent doubly negative Laurent series, not merely finite Laurent polynomials:This gives the holomorphic first cohomology of punctured complex two-space; for instance $1/(z_1{z}_2)$ represents a nonzero class.

For the comparison with sheaf cohomology, $U_1,U_2$ and their intersection are Stein manifolds. They can be realized as closed complex submanifolds of affine complex spaces by adding equations $z_i{w}_i=1$ for their nonzero coordinates. Cartan theorem B makes their higher cohomology with coefficients in the sheaf of holomorphic functions vanish. Thus the cover is acyclic for ${\mathcal{O}}_X$, and the acyclic cover theorem givesThe individual cover members are Stein; their union has the nonzero cohomology just computed.

Treat $0$ as the trivial group if $G$ is not abelian. The restriction maps satisfy the presheaf identities. To verify the sheaf gluing axiom, take an open cover $(V_i)$ of $U$. If $x\notin U$, every section group is trivial. If $x\in U$, at least one $V_i$ contains $x$. Every two such opens have an overlap containing $x$, so compatibility forces all their sections to have the same value $g\in G$. Opens not containing $x$ have their unique trivial section. The value $g\in \mathcal{G}(U)$ is exactly the unique glued section. Thus the stated presheaf is a skyscraper sheaf, including for nonabelian groups.

For the stalk of a sheaf, take the direct limit over neighbourhoods of $y$. If some neighbourhood $V$ of $y$ omits $x$, neighbourhoods inside $V$ are cofinal and all their groups are trivial. If every neighbourhood of $y$ contains $x$, every group in the system is $G$ and every transition map is the identity. Consequently, on the arbitrary topological space in the question,Membership in this closure means exactly that every neighbourhood of $y$ contains $x$. In particular ${\mathcal{G}}_x=G$. If $x$ is a closed point, the closure is just $\{x\}$ and the familiar point-supported answer results. The separation assumption is not present in the printed question, so it cannot be imposed silently.

Let $\mathcal{P}={\mathcal{M}}_X/{\mathcal{O}}_X$, the sheaf of meromorphic principal parts. Exactness of taking stalks givesChoose a holomorphic coordinate $t$ vanishing at $x$. Every meromorphic germ has a finite negative tail in its Laurent series; the holomorphic tail vanishes in the quotient. HenceThis coordinate description is a vector-space identification; the intrinsic space is the quotient of germs, so a coordinate change need not preserve the displayed basis.

For each point inclusion $i_x:\{x\}\to X$, a principal part defines a local meromorphic germ near $x$, whose quotient class is zero off $x$. Gluing with zero on the complement gives a map from its skyscraper sheaf to $\mathcal{P}$. These maps induce an isomorphism on every stalk and therefore an isomorphism of sheaves:The direct sum of sheaves means the sheafification of the sectionwise direct-sum presheaf. Its sections can have infinitely many nonzero components globally, but their point supports form a locally finite family of subsets. This matches the fact that poles of a meromorphic function are locally finite. On a compact Riemann surface only finitely many points can occur; on a noncompact one a discrete infinite family is allowed.

For a global principal-part family $P$, choose local meromorphic lifts $m_i$ on a sufficiently small open cover. The differences $m_j-m_i$ are holomorphic functions and form a Čech cocycle. The connecting homomorphism sends $P$ to the resulting class in $H^1(X,{\mathcal{O}}_X)$. If this class vanishes, after refining the cover write $m_j-m_i=h_j-h_i$; then the functions $m_i-h_i$ glue to a global meromorphic function. Conversely any global lift makes the class zero. Equivalently, exactness of the given long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology saysThe connecting class is the obstruction to the Mittag-Leffler problem on a Riemann surface. It rules on the specified poles and their finite negative Laurent tails, with no additional poles allowed. When a solution exists, any two solutions differ by a global holomorphic function.