nLab Serre functor

Serre functor

Context

Homological algebra

homological algebra

(also nonabelian homological algebra)

Introduction

Context

Basic definitions

Stable homotopy theory notions

Constructions

Lemmas

diagram chasing

Schanuel's lemma

Homology theories

Theorems

Stable Homotopy theory

Serre functor

Idea

A Serre functor on a triangulated category 𝒜\mathcal{A} is an exact functor such that for any pair of objects there is a natural isomorphism Hom(A,B)Hom(B,S(A)) *\Hom(A,B) \simeq \Hom\big(B, S(A)\big)^* from their hom-object to the linear dual of their reverse hom-object, “twisted” by the Serre functor.

A Serre functor does not always exist, but when it does then it is unique up to graded natural isomorphism.

The notion of Serre functors was introduced by Bondal & Kapranov 1989 to study admissible subcategories? of triangulated categories.

Serre functors have become a powerful tool for working with the derived category of coherent sheaves on a variety.

Definition

In the original paper, the following definition was given.

Definition

Let 𝒜\mathcal{A} be a kk-linear triangulated category with finite-dimensional Hom‘s and kk algebraically closed. A Serre functor S:𝒜𝒜S : \mathcal{A} \to \mathcal{A} is an additive equivalence that commutes with the translation functor, with natural (in both variables) isomorphisms ϕ A,B:Hom 𝒜(A,B)Hom 𝒜(B,S(A)) *\phi_{A,B} \colon \Hom_\mathcal{A}(A,B) \stackrel{\sim}{\to} \Hom_{\mathcal{A}}(B,S(A))^* for any objects AA and BB, such that the composite

(ϕ S(A),S(B) 1) *ϕ A,B:Hom(A,B)Hom(B,S(A)) *Hom(S(A),S(B)) (\phi^{-1}_{S(A),S(B)})^* \circ \phi_{A,B} : \Hom(A,B) \to \Hom(B,S(A))^* \to \Hom(S(A), S(B))

coincides with the isomorphism induced by SS.

In fact, the last commutativity condition can be deduced from just the naturality of ϕ A,B\phi_{A,B}, and commutativity with the translation functor also follows from a proposition below. Hence, the following definition is seen in later papers.

Definition

Let 𝒜\mathcal{A} be a kk-linear category with finite-dimensional Hom‘s and kk an arbitrary field. A Serre functor S:𝒜𝒜S : \mathcal{A} \to \mathcal{A} is an additive equivalence with bi-functorial isomorphisms ϕ A,B:Hom 𝒜(A,B)Hom 𝒜(B,S(A)) *\phi_{A,B} : \Hom_\mathcal{A}(A,B) \stackrel{\sim}{\to} \Hom_{\mathcal{A}}(B,S(A))^* for any objects AA and BB.

Of course, formally the definition could be used in categories enriched over a symmetric monoidal category with a sufficiently nice involution.

Examples

Example

In the derived category of finite-dimensional vector spaces over kk, the identity functor is a Serre functor.

Example

In the derived category of coherent sheaves on a smooth projective variety XX, the functor (ω X)[n](\cdot \otimes \omega_X)[n] is a Serre functor, in view of Serre-Grothendieck duality?, where ω X\omega_X is the canonical sheaf and nn is the dimension of XX.

Properties

Proposition

Any autoequivalence F:𝒜𝒜F : \mathcal{A} \to \mathcal{A} commutes with a Serre functor: there is a natural graded isomorphism of functors FSSFF \circ S \stackrel{\sim}{\to} S \circ F.

Proposition

Any Serre functor in a graded category? is graded?.

Proposition

Any Serre functor in a triangulated category is exact? (i.e. distinguished triangles are mapped to distinguished triangles).

Proposition

Any two Serre functors are connected by a canonical graded functorial isomorphism that commutes with the isomorphisms ϕ A,B\phi_{A,B} in the definition of the Serre functor.

References

The original paper and English translation:

  • А. И. Бондал, М. М. Капранов, Представимые функторы, функторы Серра и пе­рестройки, Изв. АН СССР. Сер. матем., 53:6 (1989), 1183–1205 pdf

  • Alexei I. Bondal, Mikhail M. Kapranov, Representable functors, Serre functors, and mutations, Mathematics of the USSR-Izvestiya 35 3 (1990) 519-541 [doi:10.1070/IM1990v035n03ABEH000716 pdf]

The following paper gives the corrected definition and also demonstrates the utility of the Serre functor as a tool for working with the derived category of coherent sheaves on a variety (c.f. Bondal-Orlov reconstruction theorem):

See also:

  • Oleksandr Manzyk, A-infinity-bimodules and Serre A-infinity-functors, dissertation pdf, djvu; Serre A A_\infty functors, talk at Categories in geometry and math. physics, Split 2007, slides, pdf, work with Volodymyr Lyubashenko
  • Volodymyr Mazorchuk, Vanessa Miemietz, Serre functors for Lie algebras and superalgebras
  • Sefi Ladkani, Categorification of a linear algebra identity and factorization of Serre functors, Mathematische Zeitschrift 285 (2017) 879–896 doi

Last revised on February 14, 2024 at 11:28:04. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.