The Stacks project

Proof. The strategy of the proof will be: first reduce to the case where $\mathcal{L}$ and $\mathcal{N}$ are trivial invertible modules, then change our choices of local trivializations, and then finally use étale localization to reduce to the case of schemes¹.

First step. Let $q : T \to X$ be the morphism constructed in Lemma 82.17.3. We will use all properties stated in that lemma without further mention. In particular, it suffices to show that the cycles are equal after pulling back by $q$. Denote $s'$ and $t'$ the pullbacks of $s$ and $t$ to meromorphic sections of $q^*\mathcal{L}$ and $q^*\mathcal{N}$. Denote $Z'_ i = q^{-1}(Z_ i)$, denote $\xi '_ i \in |Z'_ i|$ the generic point, denote $B'_ i = \mathcal{O}_{T, \xi '_ i}^ h$, denote $\mathcal{L}_{\xi '_ i}$ and $\mathcal{N}_{\xi '_ i}$ the pullbacks of $\mathcal{L}$ and $\mathcal{N}$ to $\mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(B'_ i)$. Recall that we have commutative diagrams

see Decent Spaces, Remark 68.11.11. Denote $s'_ i$ and $t'_ i$ the pullbacks of $s_ i$ and $t_ i$ which are generators of $\mathcal{L}_{\xi '_ i}$ and $\mathcal{N}_{\xi '_ i}$. Then we have

where $f'_ i$ and $g'_ i$ are the images of $f_ i, g_ i$ under the map $Q(B_ i) \to Q(B'_ i)$ induced by $B_ i \to B'_ i$. By Algebra, Lemma 10.52.13 we have

By Lemma 82.19.1 applied to $q : Z'_ i \to Z_ i$ we have

This already shows that the first cycle in the statement of the lemma pulls back to the corresponding cycle for $s', t', Z'_ i, s'_ i, t'_ i$. To see the same is true for the second, note that by Chow Homology, Lemma 42.5.4 we have

Hence the same lemma as before shows that

Since $q^*\mathcal{L} \cong \mathcal{O}_ T$ we find that it suffices to prove the equality in case $\mathcal{L}$ is trivial. Exchanging the roles of $\mathcal{L}$ and $\mathcal{N}$ we see that we may similarly assume $\mathcal{N}$ is trivial. This finishes the proof of the first step.

Second step. Assume $\mathcal{L} = \mathcal{O}_ X$ and $\mathcal{N} = \mathcal{O}_ X$. Denote $1$ the trivializing section of $\mathcal{L}$. Then $s_ i = u \cdot 1$ for some unit $u \in B_ i$. Let us examine what happens if we replace $s_ i$ by $1$. Then $f_ i$ gets replaced by $u f_ i$. Thus the first part of the first expression of the lemma is unchanged and in the second part we add

where $u|_{Z_ i}$ is the image of $u$ in the residue field by Spaces over Fields, Lemma 72.7.3 and in the second expression we add

by bi-linearity of the tame symbol. These terms agree by the property of the tame symbol given in Chow Homology, Equation (6).

Let $Y \subset X$ be an integral closed subspace with $\dim _\delta (Y) = n - 2$. To show that the coefficients of $Y$ of the two cycles of the lemma is the same, we may do a replacement of $s_ i$ by $1$ as in the previous paragraph. In exactly the same way one shows that we may do a replacement of $t_ i$ by $1$. Since there are only a finite number of $Z_ i$ such that $Y \subset Z_ i$ we may assume $s_ i = 1$ and $t_ i = 1$ for all these $Z_ i$.

Third step. Here we prove the coefficients of $Y$ in the cycles of the lemma agree for an integral closed subspace $Y$ with $\dim _\delta (Y) = n - 2$ such that moreover $\mathcal{L} = \mathcal{O}_ X$ and $\mathcal{N} = \mathcal{O}_ X$ and $s_ i = 1$ and $t_ i = 1$ for all $Z_ i$ such that $Y \subset Z_ i$. After replacing $X$ by a smaller open subspace we may in fact assume that $s_ i$ and $t_ i$ are equal to $1$ for all $i$. In this case the first cycle is zero. Our task is to show that the coefficient of $Y$ in the second cycle is zero as well.

First, since $\mathcal{L} = \mathcal{O}_ X$ and $\mathcal{N} = \mathcal{O}_ X$ we may and do think of $s, t$ as rational functions $f, g$ on $X$. Since $s_ i$ and $t_ i$ are equal to $1$ we find that $f_ i$, resp. $g_ i$ is the image of $f$, resp. $g$ in $Q(B_ i)$ for all $i$. Let $\zeta \in |Y|$ be the generic point. Choose an étale neighbourhood

and denote $Y' = \overline{\{ u\} } \subset U$. Since an étale morphism is flat, we can pullback $f$ and $g$ to regular meromorphic functions on $U$ which we will also denote $f$ and $g$. For every prime divisor $Y \subset Z \subset X$ the scheme $Z \times _ X U$ is a union of prime divisors of $U$. Conversely, given a prime divisor $Y' \subset Z' \subset U$, there is a prime divisor $Y \subset Z \subset X$ such that $Z'$ is a component of $Z \times _ X U$. Given such a pair $(Z, Z')$ the ring map

is étale (in fact it is finite étale). Hence we find that

by Chow Homology, Lemma 42.5.4. Thus Lemma 82.13.2 applies to show

Since flat pullback commutes with pushforward along closed immersions (Lemma 82.11.1) we see that it suffices to prove that the coefficient of $Y'$ in

is zero.

Let $A = \mathcal{O}_{U, u}$. Then $f, g \in Q(A)^*$. Thus we can write $f = a/b$ and $g = c/d$ with $a, b, c, d \in A$ nonzerodivisors. The coefficient of $Y'$ in the expression above is

By bilinearity of $\partial _ A$ it suffices to prove

is zero and similarly for the other pairs $(a, d)$, $(b, c)$, and $(b, d)$. This is true by Chow Homology, Lemma 42.6.2. $\square$