Cohomology with compact support

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In mathematics, cohomology with compact support refers to certain cohomology theories, usually with some condition requiring that cocycles should have compact support.

Singular cohomology with compact support

Let X be a topological space. Then

Hc∗(X;R):=lim→K⊆XcompactH∗(X,X∖K;R)

By definition, this is the cohomology of the sub–chain complex Cc∗(X;R) consisting of all singular cochains ϕ:Ci(X;R)→R that have compact support in the sense that there exists some compact K⊆X such that ϕ vanishes on all chains in X∖K.

Functorial definition

Let X be a topological space and p:X→⋆ the map to the point. Using the direct image and direct image with compact support functors p*,p!:Sh(X)→Sh(⋆)=Ab, one can define cohomology and cohomology with compact support of a sheaf of abelian groups ℱ on X as

Hi(X,ℱ) = Rip*ℱ,
Hci(X,ℱ) = Rip!ℱ.

Taking for ℱ the constant sheaf with coefficients in a ring R recovers the previous definition.

de Rham cohomology with compact support for smooth manifolds

Given a manifold X, let Ωck(X) be the real vector space of k-forms on X with compact support, and d be the standard exterior derivative. Then the de Rham cohomology groups with compact support Hcq(X) are the homology of the chain complex (Ωc∙(X),d):

0→Ωc0(X)→Ωc1(X)→Ωc2(X)→⋯

i.e., Hcq(X) is the vector space of closed q-forms modulo that of exact q-forms.

Despite their definition as the homology of an ascending complex, the de Rham groups with compact support demonstrate covariant behavior; for example, given the inclusion mapping j for an open set U of X, extension of forms on U to X (by defining them to be 0 on X–U) is a map j*:Ωc∙(U)→Ωc∙(X) inducing a map

j*:Hcq(U)→Hcq(X).

They also demonstrate contravariant behavior with respect to proper maps - that is, maps such that the inverse image of every compact set is compact. Let f: Y → X be such a map; then the pullback

f*:Ωcq(X)→Ωcq(Y)∑IgIdxi1∧…∧dxiq↦∑I(gI∘f)d(xi1∘f)∧…∧d(xiq∘f)

induces a map

Hcq(X)→Hcq(Y).

If Z is a submanifold of X and U = X–Z is the complementary open set, there is a long exact sequence

⋯→Hcq(U)⟶j*Hcq(X)⟶i*Hcq(Z)⟶δHcq+1(U)→⋯

called the long exact sequence of cohomology with compact support. It has numerous applications, such as the Jordan curve theorem, which is obtained for X = R² and Z a simple closed curve in X.

De Rham cohomology with compact support satisfies a covariant Mayer–Vietoris sequence: if U and V are open sets covering X, then

⋯→Hcq(U∩V)→Hcq(U)⊕Hcq(V)→Hcq(X)⟶δHcq+1(U∩V)→⋯

where all maps are induced by extension by zero is also exact.

See also

References




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