Universal Coefficients and Mayer-Vietoris Sequence for Groupoid Homology
This work provides foundational tools for algebraic topology and operator algebras, particularly in the study of groupoid homology, but it is incremental as it extends classical results to the groupoid setting.
The paper tackles the problem of computing homology for ample groupoids with coefficients in topological abelian groups, establishing a universal coefficient short exact sequence for discrete coefficients and a Mayer-Vietoris sequence for explicit computations.
We study homology of ample groupoids via the compactly supported Moore complex of the nerve. Let $A$ be a topological abelian group. For $n\ge 0$ set $C_n(\mathcal G;A) := C_c(\mathcal G_n,A)$ and define $\partial_n^A=\sum_{i=0}^n(-1)^i(d_i)_*$. This defines $H_n(\mathcal G;A)$. The theory is functorial for continuous étale homomorphisms. It is compatible with standard reductions, including restriction to saturated clopen subsets. In the ample setting it is invariant under Kakutani equivalence. We reprove Matui type long exact sequences and identify the comparison maps at chain level. For discrete $A$ we prove a natural universal coefficient short exact sequence $$0\to H_n(\mathcal G)\otimes_{\mathbb Z}A\xrightarrow{\ ι_n^{\mathcal G}\ }H_n(\mathcal G;A)\xrightarrow{\ κ_n^{\mathcal G}\ }\operatorname{Tor}_1^{\mathbb Z}\bigl(H_{n-1}(\mathcal G),A\bigr)\to 0.$$ The key input is the chain level isomorphism $C_c(\mathcal G_n,\mathbb Z)\otimes_{\mathbb Z}A\cong C_c(\mathcal G_n,A)$, which reduces the groupoid statement to the classical algebraic UCT for the free complex $C_c(\mathcal G_\bullet,\mathbb Z)$. We also isolate the obstruction for non-discrete coefficients. For a locally compact totally disconnected Hausdorff space $X$ with a basis of compact open sets, the image of $Φ_X:C_c(X,\mathbb Z)\otimes_{\mathbb Z}A\to C_c(X,A)$ is exactly the compactly supported functions with finite image. Thus $Φ_X$ is surjective if and only if every $f\in C_c(X,A)$ has finite image, and for suitable $X$ one can produce compactly supported continuous maps $X\to A$ with infinite image. Finally, for a clopen saturated cover $\mathcal G_0=U_1\cup U_2$ we construct a short exact sequence of Moore complexes and derive a Mayer-Vietoris long exact sequence for $H_\bullet(\mathcal G;A)$ for explicit computations.