The Stacks project

Proof. Let $X \in \mathop{\mathrm{Ob}}\nolimits (\mathcal{C})$ and let $\mathcal{E}$ be a finite locally free $\mathcal{O}_ X$-module. We first show how to define the rank $r^ A(\mathcal{E}) \in A^0(X)$. Namely, let $X = \bigcup X_ r$ be the decomposition into open and closed subschemes such that $\mathcal{E}|_{X_ r}$ has constant rank $r$. Since $X$ is quasi-compact, this decomposition is finite, say $X = X_0 \amalg X_1 \amalg \ldots \amalg X_ n$. Then $A(X) = A(X_0) \times A(X_1) \times \ldots \times A(X_ n)$. Thus we can define $r^ A(\mathcal{E}) = (0, 1, \ldots , n) \in A^0(X)$.

Let $P_ p(c_1, \ldots , c_ p)$ be the polynomials constructed in Chow Homology, Example 42.43.6. Then we can define

where $ci^ A$ are the Chern classes of Proposition 45.12.1. It follows immediately that we have property (2) and (3) of the lemma.

We still have to show the following three statements

1. If $0 \to \mathcal{E}_1 \to \mathcal{E} \to \mathcal{E}_2 \to 0$ is a short exact sequence of finite locally free $\mathcal{O}_ X$-modules on $X \in \mathop{\mathrm{Ob}}\nolimits (\mathcal{C})$, then $ch^ A(\mathcal{E}) = ch^ A(\mathcal{E}_1) + ch^ A(\mathcal{E}_2)$.

2. If $\mathcal{E}_1$ and $\mathcal{E}_2 \to 0$ are finite locally free $\mathcal{O}_ X$-modules on $X \in \mathop{\mathrm{Ob}}\nolimits (\mathcal{C})$, then $ch^ A(\mathcal{E}_1 \otimes \mathcal{E}_2) = ch^ A(\mathcal{E}_1) ch^ A(\mathcal{E}_2)$.

Namely, the first will prove that $ch^ A$ factors through $K_0(\textit{Vect}(X))$ and the first and the second will combined show that $ch^ A$ is a ring map.

To prove these statements we can reduce to the case where $\mathcal{E}_1$ and $\mathcal{E}_2$ have constant ranks $r_1$ and $r_2$. In this case the equalities in $A^0(X)$ are immediate. To prove the equalities in higher degrees, by Lemma 45.12.2 we may assume that $\mathcal{E}_1$ and $\mathcal{E}_2$ have filtrations whose graded pieces are invertible modules $\mathcal{L}_{1, j}$, $j = 1, \ldots , r_1$ and $\mathcal{L}_{2, j}$, $j = 1, \ldots , r_2$. Using the multiplicativity of Chern classes we get

where $s_ i$ is the $i$th elementary symmetric function as in Chow Homology, Example 42.43.6. Similarly for $c_ i^ A(\mathcal{E}_2)$. In case (1) we get

and for case (2) we get

By the definition of the polynomials $P_ i$ we see that this means

and similarly for $\mathcal{E}_2$. In case (1) we have also

In case (2) we get accordingly

Thus the desired equalities are now consequences of elementary identities between symmetric polynomials.

We omit the proof of uniqueness. $\square$