Semi-topological K-theory Eric M. Friedlander1 and Mark E. Walker2 ? 1 Department of Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208-2730
[email protected] 2 Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska { Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0323
[email protected] 1 Introduction The semi-topological K-theory of a complex variety X, written Ksst(X), in- terpolates between the algebraic K-theory, Kalg(X), of X and the topological∗ an ∗an K-theory, Ktop∗ (X ), of the analytic space X associated to X. (The super- script \sst" stands for \singular semi-topological".) In a similar vein, the real semi-topological K-theory, written KRsst(Y ), of a real variety Y interpolates between the algebraic K-theory of Y ∗and the Atiyah Real K-theory of the associated space with involution YR(C). We intend this survey to provide both motivation and coherence to the field of semi-topological K-theory. We explain the many foundational results contained in the series of papers by the authors [31, 27, 32], as well as in the recent paper by the authors and Christian Haese- meyer [21]. We shall also mention various conjectures that involve challenging problems concerning both algebraic cycles and algebraic K-theory. Our expectation is that the functor Ksst( ) is better suited for the study of complex algebraic varieties than either∗ algebraic− K-theory or topological alg K-theory. For example, applied to the point X = Spec C, Ki ( ) yields sst − uncountable abelian groups for i > 0, whereas Ki (Spec C) is 0 for i odd and Z for i even (i.e., it coincides with the topological K-theory of a point).