Table Of ContentHomological Algebra II
Randall R. Holmes
April 27, 2011
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1 GLOBAL DIMENSION 2
1 Global dimension
1.1. (Projective dimension)
Let A be an R-module. The projective dimension of A, written pd(A), is
the least nonnegative integer d for which there exists a projective resolution
of A of the form
0 → P → ··· → P → P → A → 0,
d 1 0
unless there is no such resolution, in which case pd(A) = ∞.
For instance, A is projective if and only if pd(A) = 0. And if R = Z, then
pd(Z ) = 1 (0 → 2Z → Z → Z → 0).
2 2
Theorem. For given A and d, the following are equivalent:
(i) pd(A) ≤ d,
(ii) Extn(A,B) = 0 for all n > d and all B,
R
(iii) Extd+1(A,B) = 0 for all B,
R
(iv) if 0 → M → P → ··· → P → P → A → 0 is exact with each P
d d−1 1 0 i
projective, then M is projective.
d
When d = 0, the equivalence (i) ⇔ (iii) says that A is projective if and only
if Ext1(A,B) = 0 for all B, which is the theorem in I-12.3.
R
The proof of this theorem requires the following lemma, which is proved
usingthelongexactExtsequenceandthetechniqueof“dimensionshifting.”
Lemma. If
0 → M → P → ··· → P → P → A → 0
n n−1 1 0
(n ≥ 1) is exact with each P projective, then Exti−n(M ,B) ∼= Exti (A,B)
i R n R
for every R-module B and every i ≥ n+1.
Here is an application of the theorem. If m is an integer and R = Z , then
m2
the R-module Z has infinite projective dimension by (i)⇒(iv) since Z is
m m
not projective and there is a resolution
0 → Z → Z → Z → ··· → Z → Z → 0
m m2 m2 m2 m
1 GLOBAL DIMENSION 3
of arbitrary length with Z → Z the natural monomorphism and the
m m2
other maps multiplication by m.
1.2. (Injective dimension)
Let B be an R-module. The injective dimension of B, written id(B), is
the least nonnegative integer d for which there exists an injective resolution
of B of the form
0 → B → E0 → E1 → ··· → Ed → 0,
unless there is no such resolution, in which case id(B) = ∞.
For instance, if B is injective, then id(B) = 0, and if R = Z, then id(Z) = 1
(0 → Z → Q → Q/Z → 0).
Theorem. For given B and d, the following are equivalent:
(i) id(B) ≤ d,
(ii) Extn(A,B) = 0 for all n > d and all A,
R
(iii) Extd+1(A,B) = 0 for all A,
R
(iv) if 0 → B → E0 → E1 → ··· → Ed−1 → Md → 0 is exact with each
Ei injective, then Md is injective.
The proof of this theorem is almost identical to the proof of the theorem in
the previous section.
1.3. (Global dimension)
The left global dimension of the ring R, written lgd(R), is the supremum
of the set of projective dimensions of all (left) R-modules:
lgd(R) = sup{pd(A)|A ∈ R-mod}
For example, lgd(Z) = 1 since pd(Z ) = 1 and for any Z-module A, there
2
exists an exact sequence 0 → F → F → A → 0 with F free.
1 0 i
Theorem. The following numbers are equal:
1 GLOBAL DIMENSION 4
(i) lgd(R),
(ii) sup{id(B)|B ∈ R-mod},
(iii) sup{pd(R/I)|I is a left ideal of R},
(iv) sup{d| Extd(A,B) (cid:54)= 0 for some A,B ∈ R-mod}.
R
There is a corresponding notion of “right global dimension” of R, written
rgd(R). It has been shown that for every 1 ≤ m,n ≤ ∞ there exists a ring
R such that lgd(R) = m and rgd(R) = n (Jategaonkar, 1969). On the other
hand, if R is both left and right Noetherian, then lgd(R) = rgd(R).
1.4. (Semisimple ring)
In this section, we show that the class of rings with zero global dimension
(either left or right) is precisely the class of semisimple rings.
An R-module is simple if it has no nonzero proper submodules. An R-
module is semisimple if it is a direct sum of simple submodules.
Theorem. An R-module A is semisimple if and only if every exact se-
quence 0 → B → A → C → 0 splits.
A ring is semisimple if it is semisimple as a left module over itself (or
equivalently, as a consequence of the next theorem and its identical right
counterpart, as a right module over itself).
Theorem(Wedderburn). RissemisimpleifandonlyifR ∼= (cid:81)t Mat (D ),
i=1 ni i
for some t, n , and division rings D .
i i
If R is semisimple, then the t, n and D in the theorem are uniquely de-
i i
termined by R. Each ring Mat (D ) is simple (i.e., has no nonzero proper
ni i
two-sided ideals), so a semisimple ring is a finite direct product of simple
rings. Conversely, if R is a finite direct product of simple left (or right)
Artinian rings, then R is semisimple. (A ring is left Artinian if its left ideals
satisfy the descending chain condition, or, equivalently, if each nonempty
collection of its left ideals has a minimal element, that is, a left ideal that
does not properly contain any other left ideal in the collection.)
Maschke’s theorem says that if G is a finite group and K is a field of char-
acteristic not a divisor of |G|, then the group ring KG is semisimple.
2 TOR DIMENSION 5
Theorem. The following are equivalent:
(i) R is semisimple,
(ii) lgd(R) = 0,
(iii) every R-module is injective,
(iv) every R-module is projective,
(v) every short exact sequence of R-modules splits.
We get four further equivalent statements by using the “right” versions of
(ii) through (v).
2 Tor dimension
2.1. (Pontryagin dual)
Let B be an R-module. The Pontryagin dual of B is the right R-module
B∗ := Hom (B,Q/Z)
(cid:90)
with action given by (fr)(b) = f(rb). A similar definition yields a left
R-module A∗ for every right R-module A.
Lemma. Let A,B and C be R-modules.
(i) If 0 (cid:54)= b ∈ B, then there exists f ∈ B∗ such that f(b) (cid:54)= 0.
(ii) A → B → C is exact if and only if C∗ → B∗ → A∗ is exact.
An R-module A is finitely presented if there exists an exact sequence
Rn →α Rm → A → 0 for some positive integers m and n. In this situation,
A has the presentation
(cid:88)
A = (cid:104)e ,...,e | α e ,1 ≤ j ≤ n(cid:105),
1 m ij i
i
which denotes the free R-module on the set of elements to the left of the
vertical bar (|) modulo the submodule generated by the set of elements to
the right (the latter of which is the image of α).
2 TOR DIMENSION 6
Theorem. Let A , B, and C be modules as indicated.
R R R
(i) Themapσ : (A⊗ B)∗ → Hom (A,B∗)givenbyσ(f)(a)(b) = f(a⊗b)
R R
is an isomorphism that is natural in both A and B.
(ii) The map τ : B∗⊗ C → Hom (C,B)∗ given by τ(f ⊗c)(g) = f(g(c))
R R
is natural in both B and C. It is an isomorphism if C is finitely
presented.
Theorem. Every finitely presented flat R-module is projective.
Theorem. Let B be an R-module. The following are equivalent:
(i) B is flat,
(ii) B∗ is injective,
(iii) the map I ⊗ B → R⊗ B induced by inclusion is injective for every
R R
right ideal I of R,
(iv) TorR(R/I,B) = 0 for every right ideal I of R.
1
2.2. (Flat dimension)
Let B be an R-module. The flat dimension of B, written fd(B), is the
least nonnegative integer d for which there exists a flat resolution of B of
the form
0 → Q → ··· → Q → Q → B → 0,
d 1 0
unless there is no such resolution, in which case fd(B) = ∞.
For instance, B is flat if and only if fd(B) = 0. If R = Z, then fd(Z ) = 1,
2
since 0 → 2Z → Z → Z → 0 is a flat resolution of Z (recalling that
2 2
projective⇒flat)andZ isnotflatsince·⊗ Z doesnotpreserveexactness
2 (cid:90) 2
of 0 → Z → Q.
Since a projective resolution is a flat resolution, it follows that pd(B) ≥
fd(B). One can have strict inequality here since the Z-module Q is flat
(I-10.4) so fd(Q) = 0, but it is not projective (a nonzero submodule of a free
Z-module cannot be divisible) so pd(Q) (cid:54)= 0.
Theorem. For given B and d, the following are equivalent:
2 TOR DIMENSION 7
(i) fd(B) ≤ d,
(ii) TorR(A,B) = 0 for all n > d and all A,
n
(iii) TorR (A,B) = 0 for all A,
d+1
(iv) if 0 → M → Q → ··· → Q → Q → B → 0 is exact with each Q
d d−1 1 0 i
flat, then M is flat.
d
When d = 0, the equivalence (i) ⇔ (iii) says that B is flat if and only if
TorR(A,B) = 0 for all A, which is a theorem in I-12.3.
1
There is a similar notion of flat dimension of a right R-module A (formally,
one could define fd(A) to be the flat dimension of the (left) Rop-module A).
2.3. (Tor-dimension)
The Tor dimension of the ring R, written td(R), is the supremum of the
set of flat dimensions of all (left) R-modules:
td(R) = sup{fd(B)|B ∈ R-mod}
For example, td(Z) = 1 since fd(Z ) = 1 and for any Z-module A, there
2
exists an exact sequence 0 → F → F → A → 0 with F free (hence flat).
1 0 i
Theorem. The following numbers are equal:
(i) td(R),
(ii) sup{fd(A)|A ∈ mod-R},
(iii) sup{fd(R/I)|I is a left ideal of R},
(iv) sup{fd(R/I)|I is a right ideal of R},
(v) sup{d| TorR(A,B) (cid:54)= 0 for some A ∈ mod-R, B ∈ R-mod}.
d
Since fd(B) ≤ pd(B) for an R-module B, it follows that td(R) ≤ lgd(R),
and, similarly, td(R) ≤ rgd(R).
Theorem.
(i) If R is left Noetherian, then td(R) = lgd(R).
2 TOR DIMENSION 8
(ii) If R is right Noetherian, then td(R) = rgd(R).
In particular, if R is (left and right) Noetherian, then lgd(R) = rgd(R).
We have seen that R is semisimple if and only if its left (or right) global
dimension is zero (see theorem in 1.4). The following characterization of
semisimple ring using Tor-dimension is therefore a direct consequence of the
precedingtheorem(andWedderburn’stheoremtoseethatasemisimplering
is Noetherian).
Corollary. The ring R is semisimple if and only if it is left Noetherian
and td(R) = 0.
2.4. (Von Neumann regular ring)
In this section, we show that the class of rings with zero Tor dimension is
precisely the class of von Neumann regular rings.
The ring R is von Neumann regular if for each a ∈ R there exists x ∈ R
such that axa = a (one regards x as a “weak inverse” of a). For example, if
R is a division ring, then R is von Neumann regular.
Exercise. Let V be a vector space over a division ring D. Prove that the
ring End (V) is von Neumann regular.
D
The main theorem requires a definition and a lemma. An element e of R is
idempotentife2 = e. Both0and1areidempotent. Ife ∈ Risidempotent,
then so is 1−e, and we get the left ideal direct sum decomposition R =
Re+˙R(1−e) (which is a proper decomposition if e (cid:54)= 0,1). Conversely, if
R = I+˙J with I and J left ideals of R and one writes 1 = e+f with e ∈ I
and f ∈ J, then e and f are idempotent. (Indeed, e = e1 = e2 +ef and
since e,e2 ∈ I and ef ∈ J, we get ef = 0 so that e2 = e. Similarly for f.)
Lemma. Assume that R is von Neumann regular. Let I be a finitely
generated left ideal of R.
(i) I = Re for some idempotent element e of R, so that R = I+˙R(1−e).
(ii) I and R/I are projective R-modules.
Theorem. The following are equivalent:
2 TOR DIMENSION 9
(i) R is von Neumann regular,
(ii) td(R) = 0,
(iii) every R-module is flat,
(iv) R/I is projective for every finitely generated left ideal I of R.
Corollary. R is semisimple if and only if it is von Neumann regular
and left Noetherian.
End (V) (as in the exercise above) is von Neumann regular, but it is not
D
semisimple if V is infinite dimensional (by Wedderburn’s theorem, for ex-
ample). This example also shows that one can have lgd(R) strictly greater
than td(R).
3 SPECTRAL SEQUENCE 10
3 Spectral sequence
3.1. (Definition)
A (homology) spectral sequence E consists of the following:
(i) for each integer r ≥ 0 a doubly indexed family of R-modules {Er }
pq
(p,q ∈ Z);
(ii) R-homomorphisms dr : Er → Er such that dr dr =
pq pq p−r,q+r−1 p−r,q+r−1 pq
0 for all p,q,r;
(iii) isomorphisms Er+1 → kerdr /imdr for each p,q,r.
pq pq p+r,q−r+1
(A cohomology spectral sequence is defined similarly, except with ar-
rows reversed.)
For each r, the family {Er } is the rth sheet of the sequence. It is conve-
pq
nient to locate the term Er of the rth sheet at the point (p,q) of the plane
pq
(see figure).
The maps dr are differentials. They point downward when r = 0, to the
pq
left when r = 1, and up and to the left for r > 1 (as in the figure). Their
lengths increase with r (for r > 0).
The total degree of the term Er is p+q. Terms of identical total degree
pq
lie along lines of slope −1 (red).
