The realm of p-adic cohomology theories in algebraic geometry has long been shaped by two foundational frameworks: crystalline cohomology and rigid cohomology. While crystalline cohomology excels in finiteness properties for smooth and proper varieties, it falters for singular or non-proper schemes. Conversely, rigid cohomology, supports powerful tools like Poincaré duality and weight structures, but struggles with coherence and finiteness results—most notably, Berthelot’s conjecture on the coherence of relative rigid cohomology remains unresolved. Beyond these, the study of log-decay F-isocrystals has highlighted the need for cohomological frameworks capable of accommodating logarithmic decay behaviors, as conjectured by Wan and others.
This project introduces tau-edged crystalline cohomology, a novel unification of these theories through a family of ringed sites parameterized by edge-types. Key innovations include:
- Marked schemes: Generalizing modulus pairs, these structures systematically bound poles of functions beyond log-geometry.
- Edged localisation: A unified way to talk about functions with assigned decay.
The project offers a unified lens to tackle longstanding problems:
- Finiteness and coherence: By leveraging crystalline techniques in rigid settings, the framework may resolve Berthelot’s conjecture and strengthen finiteness results for non-proper schemes.
- Log-decay F-isocrystals: The tau-edged formalism provides a cohomological foundation for these objects, enabling progress on p-adic L-function meromorphy and trace formulas.
- Characteristic-zero connections: The theory recovers Deligne’s pole order filtration, linking p-adic and complex geometric phenomena.
Scale and Significance.
The implications span arithmetic geometry and number theory:
- Theoretical advances: A deeper synthesis of cohomology theories could streamline proofs and inspire new advancements.
- Algorithmic applications: Enhanced understanding of F-isocrystals may refine tools for computing L-functions or Galois representations.
- Interdisciplinary reach: While primarily mathematical, the project’s emphasis on algebraic structures and filtrations could improve cryptographic protocols or mirror symmetry studies, where bounded growth conditions are critical.