In theThe following, I would like to discuss a bit about two statements might clarify the relation between finiteness in projective module classification between Bass conjecture (for $K_0$) and finite generation for K-theory. In particular, I would like to discuss why the affine surfaceits weak version in Daniel Litt's comment should not give rise to a counterexamplethe question.
I would like to restrict toonly consider the case of low-dimensional smooth affine varieties over finite fields. Note that the following is not a precise argument and should only convey philosophical intuition: I am using some boundary cases of results from $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy theory (such as finite base fields...) and there would be considerably more work actually turning this into a proof commutative rings.
- Contrary to the formulation of the question, the weak Bass conjecture implies the Bass conjecture for $A$ finitely generated over $\mathbb{F}_q$.
- The weak version of the Bass conjecture for $A$ smooth of dimension $\leq 3$ over a finite field can be deduced (using $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy classification of projective modules) from a refined version of the Bass conjecture and the Parshin conjecture.
The first comment concerns the UFD requirement. The finite generation for the Picard group is known. This impliesI give a positive answer to the Bass conjecture for $K_0$ in casemore detailed sketch of curves over finite fields. Using that the Picard group is finitely generated, I think you can replace the UFD requirement by classifying projective modules up to isomorphism and tensoring by line bundles.arguments below:
Second, the weak Bass conjecture implies the Bass conjectureAd 1: by a result Serre proved that if $X$ is an affine scheme of SerreKrull dimension (Theorem$d$, then all vector bundles of rank $>d$ split off a free direct summand, cf. Theorem 1 in J.-P. Serre: Modules projectfsprojectifs et espaces fibrés à fibre vectorielle. Séminaire Dubreil, Dubreil-Jacotin et Pisot, 1957/1958, Fasc 2, Exposé 23, p. 18, Sécretariat mathématique, Paris, 1958), if $X$ is an affine scheme of Krull dimension $d$, then all vector bundles of rank $>d$ split off a free direct summand. But this meansThis result implies that there is a global upper bound for the number of projective modules of given rank $n$ on an affine scheme of dimension $d$, namely the sum over $1\leq i\leq d$ of the numbers of projective modules of rank $\leq d$$i$. The weak Bass conjecture would say that this is a finite number. But then, the group completion of the monoid of isomorphism classes of projective modules will be finitely generated, so we have the ($K_0$-case of the) Bass conjecture. So the weak version of Bass' conjecture is in fact a strong version of the Bass conjecture.
Now, as a third point, I would like to discuss the $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy approach to the classificationThe result of projective modules, and outline how one might useSerre also implies that to understandif the relation betweenweak version of the Bass conjecture holds for an affine variety of dimension $d$ over $\mathbb{F}_q$ and all ranks $\leq d$, then it holds for all ranks.
Ad 2: the finitenessConsider $A$ a smooth variety of projective modulesdimension $\leq 3$ over $\mathbb{F}_q$. In particular, the arguments below should convince youThe following is a sketch of an argument that the refined Bass conjecture and the Parshin conjecture imply the weak version of the Bass conjecture holdsin the question. This is not entirely precise, as it uses some boundary cases of results from $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy theory (such as finite base fields...) and there might be considerable work turning this into a proof. I still think it conveys a good intuition for the strength of the "weak Bass conjecture". The basic idea is that projective modules over a smooth affine varietiesalgebra of dimension at most $3$$\leq 3$ are classified essentially by their Chern classes which lie in Chow groups $CH^i(X)$, provided athe refined version of Bass'Bass conjecture and the Parshin conjecture holdtogether imply that these Chow groups are finite.
FabienFirst of all, the homotopy classification of projective modules: Fabien Morel (in his book on $\mathbb{A}^1$-algebraic topology) has proved that for $X$ a smooth affine variety, there is a bijection between rank $n$ projective modules over $X$ and $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy classes of maps $X\to BGL_n$. Note in Morel's book there is a restriction $n\neq 2$ but that can be lifted using work of his student Moser. With this, it is possible to use classical topology obstruction methods to classify projective modules over smooth algebras. There is a recent series of amazing papers by Aravind Asok and Jean Fasel in which they are pursuing this line of thought. I would in particular like to point to arXiv:1204.0770, where they show that for a smooth affine $3$-fold over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $\neq 2$, the rank $2$ vector bundles can be classified by their Chern classes.
Their main theorem is for Although this result needs algebraically closed fields, but their
methodsthe methods adapt to finite fields (philosophically, but as mentioned
above this would need quite some checking). Provided all that checking
can be done, here is how the
classification of rank two projective modules over smooth $\leq
3$-folds over finite fields would proceed (glossing over a good deal
of details, sorry):
let $X$ be a smooth affine variety of dimension $\leq 3$.
The result the proof uses the Postnikov tower for $BGL_2$, and the
classification classification of projective modules then can be made precise in terms
of of lifting classes in group
$H^i_{\operatorname{Nis}}(X,\pi_i(BGL_2))$. To show ``finite
generation''
of the corresponding set of isomorphism classes of projective modules,
one needs finite generation results for such Nisnevich cohomology
groups.
The lifting groups and projective module classification: the relevant homotopy group sheaves for $BGL_2$ for classification of projective modules over varieties of dimension $\leq 3$ are $\pi_1^{\mathbb{A}^1}BGL_2\cong \mathbb{G}_m$ (Morel-Voevodsky), $\pi_2^{\mathbb{A}^1}BGL_2\cong K^M_2$ (Morel) and $\pi_3^{\mathbb{A}^1}BGL_2$ is an extension of $KSp_3$ by some quotient of Milnor $K_4$ and the fifth power of the fundamental ideal in the Witt ring (Asok-Fasel, in the paper cited above). Now the relevant Nisnevich cohomology groups are $H^1(X,\mathbb{G}_m)$, $H^2(X,K^M_2)\cong CH^2(X)$ and $H^3(X,KSp_3)$ is the cokernel of $Sq^2:Ch^2(X)\to Ch^3(X)$. Over This is not entirely honest, there is some finite amount from orientability issues because $\mathbb{F}_q$ is not quadratically closed. Anyway, over a finite field, we see that we need finite generationthe major information for projective module classification lies in $Pic(X)$, $CH^2(X)$ and $Ch^3(X)$ to show that there is only some finitely generated amount of projective modules. Note that in Daniel Litt's example, the rank two vector bundles would be classified exactly by their second Chern class in $CH^2(X)$.
Finiteness conjectures: Now what do the above groups have to do with the Bass conjecture? The relation relation is not that direct, Chow groups are not K-theory. Nevertheless, the conjecture is that Chow groups are finitely generated - this is called ``refined Bass conjecture'' in these talk notes of Thomas Geisser. In In those same talk notes, you can also find Parshin's conjecture, which which would imply that $CH^2(X)$ and $CH^3(X)$ are not just finitely generated generated but also torsion (if the base field is finite). Therefore, finiteness of rank two vector bundles in Daniel Litt's example would follow from finite generation for $CH^2(X)$ and Parshin's conjecture.
There is a disclaimer here: I would not expect thatProvided you believe the homotopy classification of of projective modules via $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy can be done for arbitrary dimensions. Neverthelessabove, one expects that there is a range (called metastable range by Suslin) in which the projective module classification can be done in terms of Chow groups, K-theory, hermitian K-theory and operations connecting them. In this range, finiteness of projective modules (over function rings of smooth affine schemes) would follow from finite generation of Chow groups (refinedrefined Bass conjecture) and Parshin'sParshin conjecture. In the end, imply the question does not seem a weak Bass conjecture to mefor - at least the way sketched above needs a lot more finite generation results as input, and we have not started talking about the situation of$A$ finitely generated generated of Krull dimension $\mathbb{Z}$-algebras yet..$\leq 3$ over $\mathbb{F}_q$.
Some further remarks:
- The counterexample proposed in Daniel Litt's comment would not be a counterexample if the refined Bass conjecture and Parshin conjecture are true. For a smooth affine surface over $\mathbb{F}_q$ with trivial Picard group, all the information would be in $CH^2(X)$ (maybe an oriented Chow group would be needed). So, although there are many $0$-dimensional local complete intersections in the affine surface, the isomorphism type of the vector bundle only depends on the class in $CH^2(X)$ - and there would only be finitely many such classes.
- Generally, the classification of projective modules will be impossible to do, much like it is impossible to classify vector bundles on compact manifolds in general. Nevertheless, the expectation is that there is a range (called metastable range by Suslin) in which the projective module classification can be done in terms of Chow groups, K-theory, hermitian K-theory and operations connecting them. In this range, finiteness of projective modules (over function rings of smooth affine schemes over $\mathbb{F}_q$) would follow from finite generation of Chow groups (refined Bass conjecture) and Parshin's conjecture.
- The extension of the above argument to finitely generated $\mathbb{Z}$-algebras would be a lot more subtle. It would need the full Bass-Quillen conjecture on projective modules over polynomial rings. Moreover, the $\mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy classification results for projective modules have not been done (though that obstacle seems a lot smaller than the general Bass-Quillen conjecture in the non-geometric case). It is also not clear to me if the resulting motivic cohomology groups in arithmetic situations would be expected to be finite, or just finitely generated. A search for counterexamples in such settings might be more promising.