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David E Speyer
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Non isomorphic two term complexes with isomorphic kernel, image and cokernel

Let $R$ be a ring. Can we have two $R$-module maps $A, B: R^n \to R^m$ such that $\mathrm{Ker}(A) \cong \mathrm{Ker}(B)$, $\mathrm{Im}(A) \cong \mathrm{Im}(B)$ and $\mathrm{CoKer}(A) \cong \mathrm{CoKer}(B)$, but such that there is no commutative diagram $$\begin{matrix} R^n & \overset{A}{\longrightarrow} & R^m \\ \cong && \cong \\ R^n & \overset{B}{\longrightarrow} & R^m \\ \end{matrix} \quad ?$$

Comments: I have examples where any two of kernel, image and cokernel match but the third doesn't. The trickiest is to get just the image different: Take $R = \mathbb{R}[x,y,z]/(x^2+y^2+z^2-1)$ and the matrices $\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} 1&0&0 \\ 0&1&0 \\ 0&0&0 \\ \end{smallmatrix} \right]$ and $\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} 1-x^2&-xy&-xz \\ -xy&1&-yz \\ -xz&-yz&1-z^2 \\ \end{smallmatrix} \right]$.

We can make short exact sequences $0 \to \mathrm{Ker}(A) \to R^n \to \mathrm{Im}(A) \to 0$ and $0 \to \mathrm{Im}(A) \to R^m \to \mathrm{CoKer}(A) \to 0$, giving classes $E_A \in \mathrm{Ext}^1(\mathrm{Im}(A), \mathrm{Ker}(A))$ and $F_A \in \mathrm{Ext}^1(\mathrm{CoKer}(A), \mathrm{Im}(A))$. One can show that the diagram exists if and only if one can choose the isomorprhisms between Ker, Im and CoKer to make $E_A = E_B$ and $F_A = F_B$. Thus, an equivalent question (if we assume $R$ noetherian, at least) is: Can you find a ring $R$, finitely generated $R$-modules $M$ and $N$ and two short exact sequences $0 \to M \to R^k \to N \to 0$ whose classes in $\mathrm{Ext}^1(N,M)$ are in different orbits for the action of $\mathrm{Aut}(M) \times \mathrm{Aut}(N)$?

David E Speyer
  • 156.3k
  • 14
  • 421
  • 763