Rationality problem for algebraic tori

Akinari Hoshi, Aiichi Yamasaki

Published 2012-10-16, updated 2015-04-24Version 5

We give the complete stably rational classification of algebraic tori of dimensions $4$ and $5$ over a field $k$. In particular, the stably rational classification of norm one tori whose Chevalley modules are of rank $4$ and $5$ is given. We show that there exist exactly $487$ (resp. $7$, resp. $216$) stably rational (resp. not stably but retract rational, resp. not retract rational) algebraic tori of dimension $4$, and there exist exactly $3051$ (resp. $25$, resp. $3003$) stably rational (resp. not stably but retract rational, resp. not retract rational) algebraic tori of dimension $5$. We make a procedure to compute a flabby resolution of a $G$-lattice effectively by using the computer algebra system GAP. Some algorithms may determine whether the flabby class of a $G$-lattice is invertible (resp. zero) or not. Using the algorithms, we determine all the flabby and coflabby $G$-lattices of rank up to $6$ and verify that they are stably permutation. We also show that the Krull-Schmidt theorem for $G$-lattices holds when the rank $\leq 4$, and fails when the rank is $5$. Indeed, there exist exactly $11$ (resp. $131$) $G$-lattices of rank $5$ (resp. $6$) which are decomposable into two different ranks. Moreover, when the rank is $6$, there exist exactly $18$ $G$-lattices which are decomposable into the same ranks but the direct summands are not isomorphic. We confirm that $H^1(G,F)=0$ for any Bravais group $G$ of dimension $n\leq 6$ where $F$ is the flabby class of the corresponding $G$-lattice of rank $n$. In particular, $H^1(G,F)=0$ for any maximal finite subgroup $G\leq {\rm GL}(n,\mathbb{Z})$ where $n\leq 6$. As an application of the methods developed, some examples of not retract (stably) rational fields over $k$ are given.