In mathematics, a sheaf is the basic tool for expressing relationships between small regions of a space and large regions. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Space is the extent within which Matter is physically extended and objects and Events have positions relative to one another Beginning with a topological space X, a sheaf assigns to every region (technically, open set) U of X some data F(U), such as a set, a group, or a ring. Topological spaces are mathematical structures that allow the formal definition of concepts such as Convergence, connectedness, and continuity. In Metric topology and related fields of Mathematics, a set U is called open if intuitively speaking starting from any point x in In Mathematics, a group is a set of elements together with an operation that combines any two of its elements to form a third element In Mathematics, a ring is an Algebraic structure which generalizes the algebraic properties of the Integers though the rational, real Often these data are a collection of geometric objects defined on that region, such as functions, vector fields, or differential forms. The Mathematical concept of a function expresses dependence between two quantities one of which is given (the independent variable, argument of the function In Mathematics a vector field is a construction in Vector calculus which associates a vector to every point in a (locally Euclidean space. In the mathematical fields of Differential geometry and Tensor calculus, differential forms are an approach to Multivariable calculus which is The data can be restricted to smaller regions, and compatible collections of data can be glued to give data over larger regions.
It is common to write a sheaf using the variable F. This comes from the French word for sheaf, faisceau.
Sheaves are used to keep track of the relationship between local and global data. For this reason they are prominent in topology, differential geometry, and algebraic geometry, but they have also found uses in number theory, analysis, and category theory. Topology ( Greek topos, "place" and logos, "study" is the branch of Mathematics that studies the properties of Differential geometry is a mathematical discipline that uses the methods of differential and integral Calculus to study problems in Geometry Algebraic geometry is a branch of Mathematics which as the name suggests combines techniques of Abstract algebra, especially Commutative algebra, with Number theory is the branch of Pure mathematics concerned with the properties of Numbers in general and Integers in particular as well as the wider classes Analysis has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of Calculus. In Mathematics, category theory deals in an abstract way with mathematical Structures and relationships between them it abstracts from sets Roughly speaking, a sheaf F on a topological space X consists of two types of data and two properties. The first piece of data is a function which takes every open set U of X to a set F(U). (We can require that F(U) have additional structure, but for now we will require only that it be a set. ) The second piece of data takes two open sets U and V, with V contained in U, and gives a map
called the restriction map. Conceptually, the restriction map is analogous to restricting the domain of a function. These data satisfy two properties. The first is a normalization axiom and states that F(∅) is a one-element set. The second is usually called the gluing axiom. In Mathematics, the gluing axiom is introduced to define what a sheaf F on a Topological space X must satisfy given that it is a Roughly speaking, it says that if an open set U is covered by smaller open sets {Ui}i ∈ I, then an element of F(U) corresponds to compatible choices of elements from each F(Ui). That is, given one element from each F(Ui), and assuming that, for all i and j, the chosen elements of F(Ui) and F(Uj) become equal when restricted to the overlaps Ui ∩ Uj, there exists one and only one element of F(U) which restricts to the original element of each F(Ui).
Before giving the formal definition, we list several examples.
The most basic example is the sheaf of continuous real-valued functions on a topological space X. Topological spaces are mathematical structures that allow the formal definition of concepts such as Convergence, connectedness, and continuity. A continuous function can be restricted to give a continuous function on an open subset, and continuous functions on open subsets can be used to construct a continuous function on the union of the open sets.
To be precise, on each open set U of X, we let F(U) be the set of continuous real-valued functions f : U → R. Given an open set V contained in U and a function f in F(U), we can restrict the domain of f to V to get f|V. The restriction f|V is a continuous real-valued function V → R, so it is member of F(V). This defines the restriction map resV,U.
The normalization axiom is clear, because there is a unique function from the empty set to R, namely the empty function. To show that the gluing axiom holds, suppose that we have a collection of open sets {Ui}i ∈ I, and let U be the union of the {Ui}. For each i, choose an fi in F(Ui), that is, a continuous real-valued function Ui → R. The hypothesis of the gluing axiom is that the {fi} agree on overlaps. This means that when we restrict fi and fj to Ui ∩ Uj, they must be equal. In symbols, fi|Ui∩Uj = fj|Ui∩Uj. Assuming this, we define a function f : U → R as follows: Every point x of U lies in some Ui. Choose such a Ui, and define f(x) to be fi(x). Because of our assumption that the functions {fi} agreed on overlaps, this is unambiguous, so f is well-defined. f is continuous because each fi is continuous and continuity is a local property of functions. Furthermore, f is the only possible function that could restrict to fi on Ui, because functions are determined by their values on points. Consequently there is one and only one function gluing the {fi}, namely f.
In fact, this sheaf is not just a sheaf of sets. Because functions can be added pointwise, it is also a sheaf of groups. Because they can be multiplied pointwise, it is a sheaf of rings. Since they form a vector space, it is a sheaf of algebras. In Mathematics, a vector space (or linear space) is a collection of objects (called vectors) that informally speaking may be scaled and added In Mathematics, specifically in Ring theory, an algebra over a commutative ring is a generalization of the concept of an algebra over a field, where the
For simplicity, we will work on R. Suppose that we have a differential equation F(x, y, y′, y″, … ) = 0. and that we are looking for smooth solutions, that is, smooth functions y : R → R that satisfy F. In Mathematical analysis, a differentiability class is a classification of functions according to the properties of their Derivatives Higher order differentiability In the previous example, we found that there was a sheaf of continuous real-valued functions on R. A similar construction gives a sheaf of smooth real-valued functions on R. We will call this sheaf G. G(U) is the set of smooth functions U → R. Some of the members of G(U) are solutions to the differential equation F = 0. It turns out that these solutions themselves form a sheaf.
For each open set U, let H(U) be the set of smooth functions y : U → R such that F(x, y, y′, y″, … ) = 0. The restriction maps are still restriction of functions, just like for G. H(∅) is still the empty function. To check the gluing axiom, let {Ui}i ∈ I be a collection of open sets, and let U be the union of the {Ui}. For each i, choose fi in H(Ui), and assume that the {fi} agree on overlaps, that is, fi|Ui∩Uj = fj|Ui∩Uj. Construct f in the same way as before: f(x) = fi(x) whenever fi is defined. To see that f is still a solution to the differential equation, notice that f satisfies the differential equation near a point x if and only if f satisfies the differential equation after restricting. ↔ We can always restrict to some fi, and we know that fi satisfies the differential equation. Therefore f is a solution to F = 0. To see that f is unique, notice that just as before, f is determined by its values on points, and those values must restrict to give the values of the fi. Consequently f is the unique gluing of the {fi}, so H is a sheaf.
Notice that H(U) is contained in G(U) for each U. Also, if f is in both H(U) and G(U), and if V is contained in U, then applying the restriction function of H to f is the same as applying the restriction function of G to f. This tells us that H is a subsheaf of G.
Depending on the differential equation F, it may be possible to add two solutions to get a third—for example, if F is linear. If this is the case, then H is a sheaf of groups, with the group law given by pointwise addition of functions. In general, however, H is only a sheaf of sets, not a sheaf of groups or a sheaf of rings.
Let M be a smooth manifold. A differentiable manifold is a type of Manifold that is locally similar enough to Euclidean space to allow one to do Calculus. A vector field V on M associates to every point x of M a vector V(x) in TxM, the tangent space to M at x. In Mathematics a vector field is a construction in Vector calculus which associates a vector to every point in a (locally Euclidean space. In Mathematics, the tangent space of a Manifold is a concept which facilitates the generalization of vectors from Affine spaces to general manifolds since V(x) is required to vary smoothly with x. We will define a sheaf
which gives information about the vector fields on M. For each open set U, we consider U as a smooth manifold and let
be the set of all vector fields on U. In other words,
is a set of functions V which take a point x of U to a vector V(x) in TxU in a smooth varying manner. Note that because U is open, TxU = TxM. We define the restriction maps to be restriction of vector fields.
To show that
is a sheaf, first notice that
is the empty function because there are no points in the empty set. To check the gluing axiom, let {Ui}i ∈ I be a collection of open sets, and let U be the union of the {Ui}. On each open set Ui, we choose a vector field Vi, and we assume that these vector fields agree on overlaps, that is, Vi|Ui∩Uj = Vj|Ui∩Uj. Now we define a new vector field V on U as follows: For each x in U, choose a Ui containing x. Define V(x) to be Vi(x). Because of our assumption that the Vi agreed on overlaps, V is well-defined. Furthermore, V(x) is a vector in TxM, and that vector varies smoothly with x because Vi(x) varies smoothly with x and "varying smoothly" is a local property. Lastly, V is the only possible gluing of the set of Vi, because V is determined by its values on each x, and those values must restrict to the values of Vi on Ui.
There is another way of expressing
which involves the tangent bundle TM of M. In Mathematics, the tangent bundle of a smooth (or differentiable manifold M, denoted by T ( M) or just TM, is the There is a natural projection map p : TM → M which takes a pair (x, v), where x is a point in M and v is a vector in TxM, to the point x. A vector field on an open set U is the same as a section of p, that is, it is a smooth map s : U → TM such that ps = idU, where idU is the identity function on U. In other words, s takes points x to a pair (x, v) in a smooth fashion. s cannot take a point x to a pair (y, v) with y ≠ x because of the restriction ps = idU. This lets us express the tangent sheaf
as a sheaf of sections. In other words, over each U,
is the collection of all sections of the projection map p, and the restriction maps are restriction of functions. There is an analogous sheaf of sections for any continuous map of topological spaces.
Notice that
is always a sheaf of groups, with addition given by pointwise addition of vectors. However,
is not naturally a sheaf of rings because there is no natural multiplication of vectors.
The first step in defining a sheaf is to define a presheaf, which captures the idea of associating data and restriction maps to the open sets of a topological space. The second step is to require the normalization and gluing axioms. A presheaf which satisfies these axioms is a sheaf.
Let X be a topological space, and let C be a category. In Mathematics, a category is a fundamental and abstract way to describe mathematical entities and their relationships Usually C is the category of sets, the category of groups, the category of abelian groups, or the category of commutative rings. In Mathematics, the category of sets, denoted as Set, is the category whose objects are all sets and whose Morphisms are In Mathematics, the category Grp has the class of all groups for objects and Group homomorphisms for Morphisms As such In Mathematics, the category Ab has the Abelian groups as objects and Group homomorphisms as Morphisms This is the prototype In Mathematics, the category of rings, denoted by Ring, is the category whose objects are rings (with identity and whose Morphisms A presheaf F on X with values in C is given by the following data:
, a morphism resV,U : F(U) → F(V) in the category C. In Mathematics, a morphism is an abstraction derived from structure-preserving mappings between two Mathematical structures The study of morphisms and The morphisms resV,U are called restriction morphisms. The restriction morphisms are required to satisfy two properties.
, then resW,V o resV,U = resW,U. Informally, the second axiom says it doesn't matter whether we restrict to W in one step or restrict first to V, then to W.
There is a compact way to express the notion of a presheaf in terms of category theory. In Mathematics, category theory deals in an abstract way with mathematical Structures and relationships between them it abstracts from sets First we define the category of open sets on X to be the category O(X) whose objects are the open sets of X and whose morphisms are inclusions. In Mathematics, a category is a fundamental and abstract way to describe mathematical entities and their relationships Then a C-valued presheaf on X is the same as a contravariant functor from O(X) to C. In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, a functor is a special type of mapping between categories This definition can be generalized to the case when the source category is not of the form O(X) for any X; see presheaf (category theory). In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, a V-valued presheaf F on a category C is a functor FC^\mathrm{op}\to\mathbf{V}
If F is a C-valued presheaf on X, and U is an open subset of X, then F(U) is called the sections of F over U. If C is a concrete category, then each element of F(U) is called a section. In Mathematics, a concrete category is commonly understood as a category whose objects are structured sets, whose Morphisms are structure-preserving A section over X is called a global section. This is by analogy with sections of fiber bundles or sections of the étale space of a sheaf; see below. In Mathematics, in particular in Topology, a fiber bundle (or fibre bundle) is a space which looks locally like a Product space. F(U) is also often denoted Γ(U,F), especially in contexts such as sheaf cohomology where U tends to be fixed and F tends to be variable. In Mathematics, sheaf cohomology is the aspect of Sheaf theory, concerned with sheaves of Abelian groups that applies Homological algebra to
Sheaves are presheaves subject to two axioms. The first is the normalization axiom:
is the terminal object of C. For this definition to make sense, C must have a terminal object, but in practice this is usually the case.
More important is the gluing axiom. Recall that in our examples above, the gluing axiom required that we could paste together sections which agreed on overlaps. For simplicity, we will state the gluing axiom only when C is a concrete category. In Mathematics, a concrete category is commonly understood as a category whose objects are structured sets, whose Morphisms are structure-preserving For a more abstract and general formulation, see the article gluing axiom. In Mathematics, the gluing axiom is introduced to define what a sheaf F on a Topological space X must satisfy given that it is a
Let
be a collection of open subsets of X, and let
. For each i, choose a section
. We say that
are compatible if, for all i and j,
. The gluing axiom states:
of compatible sections on
, there exists a unique section
such that
. The section s is called the gluing, concatenation, or collation of the sections {si}.
In the examples we gave above, the sections of the sheaf corresponded to functions. When this is the case, the hypothesis of the gluing axiom is that the two functions are equal where they overlap, and the conclusion is that there is one and only one function on U which pastes together all of functions on the Ui. This is what we showed above to demonstrate that our examples were sheaves.
Sometimes the gluing axiom is split into two axioms, one for existence and one for uniqueness. A presheaf that satisfies only uniqueness but not existence is called a separated presheaf.
Let X be the topological space consisting of two points p and q with the discrete topology. In Topology, a discrete space is a particularly simple example of a Topological space or similar structure one in which the points are " isolated " X has four open sets:
The nine possible inclusions of the open sets of X are the ones shown in the chart (and the four identity inclusions ∅⊆∅ etc. which are not depicted).
A presheaf on X chooses four sets, one for each of the open sets of X, and nine restriction maps, one for each of the nine inclusions above. The simplest way to choose the sets is to make them all the same. For this example, we will choose all four sets to be Z, the integers, and choose all restriction maps to be the identity. The resulting presheaf F is called the constant presheaf on X with value Z, and it is determined by the data depicted at the right.
Checking that F is a presheaf is the same as checking that F is a functor. This amounts to two facts:
In particular, each of the restriction maps is injective, so F is a separated presheaf. It is not, however, a sheaf. F fails the normalization axiom, because F(∅) is not the terminal object of the category of sets. Instead it is Z. (F does, however, satisfy the gluing axiom. ) To make F closer to a sheaf, we will construct a new presheaf G which satisfies the normalization axiom. G(∅) must be a one element set. We will denote this set by 0. When G is applied to an inclusion where one of the objects is the empty set, such as ∅⊆{p}, then the restriction map must be changed so that its codomain is G(∅). Because 0 is a one element set, there is a unique map from any set to 0 which we will also denote by 0. The resulting presheaf G is shown at the right.
Notice that as a consequence of the normalization, anything involving the empty set is boring. This is true for any presheaf satisfying the normalization axiom, and in particular for any sheaf.
G is a separated presheaf, but it is still not a sheaf. While it satisfies the normalization axiom, it now fails the gluing axiom. The only non-trivial open cover in X is the cover of {p,q} by the two open sets {p} and {q}. The intersection of {p} and {q} is ∅. A section on {p} is the same as an element of G({p}) = Z, that is, it is a number. Call this number m. Similarly, a section on {q} is also a number, say n. Assume that m is not equal to n. G(∅⊆{p})(m) = 0 and G(∅⊆{q})(n) = 0, so the two sections restrict to the same element on ∅. Consequently, the gluing axiom says that there should be a unique section on G({p, q}) which restricts to m on {p} and n on {q}. Call this section s. s is an element of G({p, q}) = Z, so s is an integer. The restriction map G({p}⊆{p,q}) is the identity, and the image of s under restriction to {p} is G({p}⊆{p,q})(s) = m by assumption. Therefore, s = m. By the same reasoning, s = n. But we assumed to start with that m was not n, so this is impossible. So the gluing axiom fails: It is not always possible to glue two sections which agree on overlaps.
The problem with G is that G({p, q}) is too small to carry information about the two points p and q. The most natural way to remedy this is to enlarge G({p, q}) and leave G({p}) and G({q}) unchanged. This will give us a new presheaf H. H({p, q}) must be at least large enough that it knows what integer lies over p and what integer lies over q, so a natural choice is Z ⊕ Z. The first copy of Z corresponds to the integer over p, and the second copy corresponds to the integer over q. The restriction maps should correspond to choosing one copy or the other of Z. Call the projection onto the first factor π1 : Z ⊕ Z → Z and the projection onto the second factor π2 : Z ⊕ Z → Z. H turns out to be a sheaf called the constant sheaf on X with value Z. Because we chose to work with the ring Z, and because all the restriction maps are ring homomorphisms, H is a sheaf of commutative rings.
In general, for any set S and any topological space X there is a constant presheaf F which has F(U) = S for all U and all restriction maps equal to the identity. F is never a sheaf because it fails the normalization axiom. Some authors take a slightly different definition of a constant presheaf analogous to G above. They define the constant presheaf to have G(U) = S for all nonempty U and all restriction maps between nonempty sets equal to the identity. G(∅) is taken to be a one element set, and restriction maps involving the empty set are taken to be the unique map to the one element set. In this case, G is always a separated presheaf, and G is a sheaf if and only if the topological space is irreducible. In Mathematics, a hyperconnected space is a Topological space X that cannot be written as the union of two proper closed sets The argument that it is not a sheaf is analogous to the situation above.
There is also always a constant sheaf with value S, and it is usually denoted
. We let
be the set of all functions from U to S which are constant on each connected component. In other words, if U has a single connected component, then
is S. If U has two connected components, then
is S × S; one factor of S is the section over one component, and the other factor is the section over the other component. Restriction corresponds to restriction of functions. It can be checked that this makes
a sheaf. More generally, if S is an object in a concrete category C which has all set-indexed products, then we define the constant sheaf
to be the sheaf which takes an open set U to the set of all functions U → S which are constant on the connected components of U. For example, this can always be done with Z to get the constant sheaf
; this is the same as the sheaf H in the example above. If C is a category such as the category of groups or the category of commutative rings, this will give a sheaf of groups or a sheaf of commutative rings, respectively.
Because sheaves encode exactly the data needed to pass between local and global situations, there are many examples of sheaves occurring throughout mathematics. Here are some additional examples of sheaves:
,
, and f(z) = exp(z). Γ(Y / X)(U) is the set of branches of the logarithm on U. Some types of structure are defined by a space and a fixed sheaf on it. For example, a space together with a sheaf of rings is called a ringed space. In Mathematics, a ringed space is intuitively speaking a space together with a collection of Commutative rings the elements of which are "functions" on If the stalks (see below) are all local rings, then it is a locally ringed space. In Mathematics, more particularly in Abstract algebra, local rings are certain rings that are comparatively simple and serve to describe what is called In Mathematics, a ringed space is intuitively speaking a space together with a collection of Commutative rings the elements of which are "functions" on If the sheaf of rings is locally the same as the elements of a commutative ring, we get a scheme. In Mathematics, a scheme is an important concept connecting the fields of Algebraic geometry, Commutative algebra and Number theory.
In the following examples M is an n-dimensional Ck-manifold. The table lists the values of certain sheaves over open subsets U of M and their restriction maps.
| Sheaf | Sections over an open set U | Restriction maps | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
Sheaf of j-times continuously differentiable functions , j ≤ k |
Cj-functions U → R | Restriction of functions. | This is a sheaf of rings with addition and multiplication given by pointwise addition and multiplication. When j = k, this sheaf is called the structure sheaf and is denoted . |
Sheaf of nonzero k-times continuously differentiable functions ![]() |
Nowhere zero Ck-functions U → R | Restriction of functions. | A sheaf of groups under pointwise multiplication. |
| Cotangent sheaves ΩpM | Differential forms of degree p on U | Restriction of differential forms. In the mathematical fields of Differential geometry and Tensor calculus, differential forms are an approach to Multivariable calculus which is | Ω1M and ΩnM are commonly denoted ΩM and ωM, respectively. |
Sheaf of distributions ![]() |
Distributions on U | The dual map to extension of smooth compactly supported functions by zero. In Mathematical analysis, distributions (also known as generalized functions) are objects which generalize functions and Probability distributions | Here M is assumed to be smooth. |
Sheaf of differential operators ![]() |
Finite-order differential operators on U | Restriction of differential operators. In Mathematics, a differential operator is an Operator defined as a function of the differentiation operator | Here M is assumed to be smooth. |
Here are two examples of presheaves which are not sheaves:
Heuristically speaking, a morphism of sheaves is analogous to a function between them. However, because sheaves contain data relative to every open set of a topological space, a morphism of sheaves is defined as a collection of functions, one for each open set, which satisfy a compatibility condition.
Let
and
be two sheaves on X with values in the category C. A morphism φ :
→
takes each open set U of X to a morphism φ(U) :
→
, subject to the condition that this morphism is compatible with restriction. In Mathematics, a morphism is an abstraction derived from structure-preserving mappings between two Mathematical structures The study of morphisms and In other words, for every open subset U of an open set V, we must have a commutative diagram:

This compatibility condition says that if we have a section s in
, then mapping s to its image φ(V)(s) in
and then restricting to U gives the same result as first restricting to U and then mapping the restriction to its image in
. In mathematics and especially in Category theory a commutative diagram is a Diagram of objects also known as vertices, and Morphisms also
Recall that we could also express a sheaf as a special kind of functor. In this language, a morphism of sheaves is a natural transformation of the corresponding functors. In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, a natural transformation provides a way of transforming one Functor into another while respecting the internal With this notion of morphism, there is a category of C-valued sheaves on X for any C. The objects are the C-valued sheaves, and the morphisms are morphisms of sheaves. An isomorphism of sheaves is an isomorphism in this category. In Abstract algebra, an isomorphism ( Greek: ἴσος isos "equal" and μορφή morphe "shape" is a bijective
It can be proved that an isomorphism of sheaves is an isomorphism on each open set U. In other words, φ is an isomorphism if and only if for each U, φ(U) is an isomorphism. The same is true of monomorphisms, but not of epimorphisms. In the context of Abstract algebra or Universal algebra, a monomorphism is simply an Injective Homomorphism. In Category theory an epimorphism (also called an epic morphism or an epi) is a Morphism f: X &rarr Y which See sheaf cohomology. In Mathematics, sheaf cohomology is the aspect of Sheaf theory, concerned with sheaves of Abelian groups that applies Homological algebra to
Notice that we did not use the gluing axiom in defining a morphism of sheaves. Consequently, the above definition makes sense for presheaves as well. The category of C-valued presheaves is then a functor category, the category of contravariant functors from O(X) to C. In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, the Functors between two given categories can themselves be turned into a category the morphisms in this functor
It is frequently useful to take the data contained in a presheaf and to express it as a sheaf. In Mathematics, the gluing axiom is introduced to define what a sheaf F on a Topological space X must satisfy given that it is a It turns out that there is a best possible way to do this. It takes a presheaf F and produces a new sheaf aF called the sheaving, sheafification or sheaf associated to the presheaf F. a is called the sheaving functor, sheafification functor, or associated sheaf functor. There is a natural morphism of presheaves i : F → aF which has the universal property that for any sheaf G and any morphism of presheaves f : F → G, there is a unique morphism of sheaves
such that
. In fact a is the adjoint functor to the inclusion functor from the category of sheaves to the category of presheaves, and i is the unit of the adjunction.
| Image functors for sheaves |
|
direct image f∗
|
The definition of a morphism on sheaves makes sense only for sheaves on the same space X. In Mathematics, especially in sheaf theory, a domain applied in areas such as Topology, Logic and Algebraic geometry, there are four image In Mathematics, in the field of Sheaf theory and especially in Algebraic geometry, the direct image functor generalizes the notion of a Section of In Mathematics, the inverse image functor is a Contravariant construction of sheaves In Mathematics, in the theory of sheaves the direct image with compact support is an image Functor for sheaves In Mathematics, more specifically Sheaf theory, a branch of Topology and Algebraic geometry, the exceptional inverse image functor is the fourth In Mathematics, especially in sheaf theory, a domain applied in areas such as Topology, Logic and Algebraic geometry, there are four image This is because the data contained in a sheaf is indexed by the open sets of the space. If we have two sheaves on different spaces, then their data is indexed differently. There is no way to go directly from one set of data to the other.
However, it is possible to move a sheaf from one space to another using a continuous function. Let f : X → Y be a continuous function from a topological space X to a topological space Y. If we have a sheaf on X, we can move it to Y, and vice versa. There are four ways in which sheaves can be moved.
on X can be moved to Y using the direct image functor f * or the direct image with proper support functor f!. In Mathematics, in the field of Sheaf theory and especially in Algebraic geometry, the direct image functor generalizes the notion of a Section of
on Y can be moved to X using the inverse image functor f - 1 or the twisted inverse image functor f!. In Mathematics, the inverse image functor is a Contravariant construction of sheaves The twisted inverse image functor f! is, in general, only defined as a functor between derived categories. In Mathematics, the derived category D ( C) of an Abelian category C is a construction of Homological algebra introduced These functors come in adjoint pairs: f - 1 and f * are left and right adjoints of each other, and Rf! and f! are left and right adjoints of each other. The functors are intertwined with each other by Grothendieck duality and Verdier duality. Coherent duality in Mathematics refers to a number of generalisations of Serre duality, applying to Coherent sheaves, in Algebraic geometry and In mathematics Verdier duality is a generalization of the Poincaré duality of Manifolds to spaces with singularities
There is a different inverse image functor for sheaves of modules over sheaves of rings. This functor is usually denoted f * and it is distinct from f - 1. See inverse image functor. In Mathematics, the inverse image functor is a Contravariant construction of sheaves
The stalk
of a sheaf
captures the properties of a sheaf "around" a point x ∈ X. The stalk of a sheaf is a mathematical construction capturing the behaviour of a sheaf around a given point Here, "around" means that, conceptually speaking, one looks at smaller and smaller neighborhood of the point. In Topology and related areas of Mathematics, a neighbourhood (or neighborhood) is one of the basic concepts in a Topological space. Of course, no single neighborhood will be small enough, so we will have to take a limit of some sort.
The stalk is defined by
,the direct limit being over all open subsets of X containing the given point x. In Mathematics, the direct limit (also called the inductive limit) is a general method of taking colimits of "directed families of objects" In other words, an element of the stalk is given by a section over some open neighborhood of x, and two such sections are considered equivalent if their restrictions agree on a smaller neighborhood.
The natural morphism F(U) → Fx takes a section s in F(U) to its germ. This generalises the usual definition of a germ. In Mathematics, a germ of ( continuous, differentiable or analytic) functions is an Equivalence class of (continuous differentiable
A different way of defining the stalk is
,where i is the inclusion of the one-point space {x} into X. The equivalence follows from the definition of the inverse image. In Mathematics, the inverse image functor is a Contravariant construction of sheaves
In many situations, knowing the stalks of a sheaf is enough to control the sheaf itself. For example, whether or not a morphism of sheaves is a monomorphism, epimorphism, or isomorphism can be tested on the stalks. They also find use in constructions such as Godement resolutions. In Algebraic geometry, the Godement resolution, named after Roger Godement, of a Sheaf allows one to view all of its local information globally
In the examples above it was noted that some sheaves occur naturally as sheaves of sections. In fact, all sheaves of sets can be represented as sheaves of sections of a topological space called the étale space. If F is a sheaf over X, then the étale space of F is a topological space E together with a local homeomorphism π: E → X; the sheaf of sections of π is F. In Topology, a local homeomorphism is a map from one Topological space to another that respects locally the topological structure of the two spaces E is usually a very strange space, and even if the sheaf F arises from a natural topological situation, E may not have any clear topological interpretation. For example, if F is the sheaf of sections of a continuous function f : Y → X, then E = Y if and only if f is a covering map. In Mathematics, a covering space is a Topological space C which "covers" another space X by a Surjective Local homeomorphism
The étale space E is constructed from the stalks of F over X. As a set, it is their disjoint union and π is the obvious map which takes the value x on the stalk of F over x ∈ X. In Set theory, a disjoint union (or discriminated union) is a modified union operation which indexes the elements according to which set they originated The topology of E is defined as follows. For each element s of F(U) and each x in U, we get a germ of s at x. These germs determine points of E. For any U and s ∈ F(U), the union of these points (for all x ∈ U) is declared to be open in E. Notice that each stalk has the discrete topology. In Topology, a discrete space is a particularly simple example of a Topological space or similar structure one in which the points are " isolated " Two morphisms between sheaves determine a continuous map of the corresponding étale spaces which is compatible with the projection maps (in the sense that every germ is mapped to a germ over the same point). This makes the construction into a functor.
This gives an example of an étale space over X. An étale space is a topological space E together with a continuous map π: E → X which is a local homeomorphism such that each fiber of π has the discrete topology. The construction above determines an equivalence of categories between the category of sheaves of sets on X and the category of étalé spaces over X. In Category theory, an abstract branch of Mathematics, an equivalence of categories is a relation between two categories that establishes that these categories are The construction of an étale space can also be applied to a presheaf, in which case the sheaf of sections of the étale space recovers the sheaf associated to the given presheaf.
The map π is an example of what is sometimes called an étale map. "Étale" here means the same thing as "local homeomorphism". However, the terminology "étale map" is more common in contexts where the right analogue of a local homeomorphism of manifolds is not characterized by the property of being a local homeomorphism. This is the case in algebraic geometry. Algebraic geometry is a branch of Mathematics which as the name suggests combines techniques of Abstract algebra, especially Commutative algebra, with For more information see the article étale morphism. In Algebraic geometry, a field of Mathematics, an étale morphism (pronunciation /etal/) is an algebraic analogue of the notion of a local isomorphism in
This construction makes all sheaves into representable functors on certain categories of topological spaces. In Mathematics, especially in Category theory, a representable functor is a Functor of a special form from an arbitrary category into the As above, let F be a sheaf on X, let E be its étale space, and let π: E → X be the natural projection. Consider the category Top/X of topological spaces over X, that is, the category of topological spaces together with fixed continuous maps to X. Every object of this space is a continuous map f : Y → X, and a morphism from Y → X to Z → X is a continuous map Y → Z which commutes with the two maps to X. There is a functor Γ from Top/X to the category of sets which takes an object f : Y → X to (f−1F)(Y). For example, if i : U → X is the inclusion of an open subset, then Γ(i) = (i−1F)(U) agrees with the usual F(U), and if i : {x} → X is the inclusion of a point, then Γ({x}) = (i−1F)({x}) is the stalk of F at x. There is a natural isomorphism

which shows that E represents the functor Γ.
The definition of sheaves by étale spaces is older than the definition given earlier in the article. It is still common in some areas of mathematics such as mathematical analysis. Analysis has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of Calculus.
It was noted above that the functor Γ(U, − ) preserves isomorphisms and monomorphisms, but not epimorphisms. In Mathematics, sheaf cohomology is the aspect of Sheaf theory, concerned with sheaves of Abelian groups that applies Homological algebra to If F is a sheaf of abelian groups, or more generally a sheaf with values in an abelian category, then Γ(U, − ) is actually a left exact functor. In Mathematics, an abelian category is a category in which Morphisms and objects can be added and in which kernels and Cokernels exist In Homological algebra, an exact functor is a Functor, from some category to another which preserves Exact sequences Exact functors are very This means that it is possible to construct derived functors of Γ(U, − ). In Mathematics, certain Functors may be derived to obtain other functors closely related to the original ones These derived functors are called the cohomology groups (or modules) of F and are written Hi(U, − ).
Unfortunately, applying this definition to a computation is nearly impossible. One way of making computations is by Čech cohomology. Čech cohomology is a particular type of Cohomology in Mathematics. Čech cohomology was the first cohomology theory developed for sheaves and it is well-suited to concrete calculations. It relates sections on open subsets of the space to cohomology classes on the space. In most cases, Čech cohomology computes the same cohomology groups as the derived functor cohomology. However, for some pathological spaces, Čech cohomology will give the correct H1 but incorrect higher cohomology groups. To get around this, Jean-Louis Verdier developed hypercoverings. Jean-Louis Verdier (1935 &ndash 1989 was a French Mathematician who worked under the guidance of Alexander Grothendieck, on derived categories Hypercoverings not only give the correct higher cohomology groups but also allow the open subsets mentioned above to be replaced by certain morphisms from another space. This flexibility is necessary in some applications, such as the construction of Pierre Deligne's mixed Hodge structures. Pierre René Viscount Deligne (born 3 October 1944 in Brussels) is a Belgian Mathematician. In mathematics a Hodge structure is an algebraic structure at the level of Linear algebra, similar to the one that Hodge theory gives to the Cohomology groups
Unfortunately, computations via Čech cohomology tend to be very messy. A much cleaner approach to the computation of some cohomology groups is the Borel–Bott–Weil theorem, which identifies the cohomology groups of some line bundles on flag manifolds with irreducible representations of Lie groups. In Mathematics, the Borel–Bott–Weil theorem is a basic result in the Representation theory of Lie groups showing how a family of representations can In Mathematics, a line bundle expresses the concept of a line that varies from point to point of a space In the mathematical field of Representation theory, group representations describe abstract groups in terms of Linear transformations of In Mathematics, a Lie group (ˈliː sounds like "Lee" is a group which is also a Differentiable manifold, with the property that the group This theorem can be used, for example, to easily compute the cohomology groups of all line bundles on projective space.
André Weil's Weil conjectures stated that there was a cohomology theory for algebraic varieties over finite fields which would give an analogue of the Riemann hypothesis. In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, a Grothendieck topology is a structure on a category C which makes the objects of C act like the In Mathematics, a topos (plural "topoi" or "toposes" is a type of category that behaves like the category of sheaves of sets André Weil should not be confused with two other mathematicians with similar names Hermann Weyl (1885-1955 who made substantial contributions In Mathematics, the Weil conjectures, which had become theorems by 1974 were some highly-influential proposals from the late 1940s by André Weil on the In Algebraic geometry, a subfield of Mathematics, a Weil cohomology or Weil cohomology theory is a cohomology satisfying certain axioms concerning the interplay This article is about algebraic varieties For the term "a variety of algebras" and an explanation of the difference between a variety of algebras and an algebraic variety In Abstract algebra, a finite field or Galois field (so named in honor of Évariste Galois) is a field that contains only finitely many elements The Riemann hypothesis (also called the Riemann zeta-hypothesis) first formulated by Bernhard Riemann in 1859 is one of the most famous and important unsolved The only natural topology on such a variety, however, is the Zariski topology, but sheaf cohomology in the Zariski topology is badly behaved because there are very few open sets. In Mathematics, namely Algebraic geometry, the Zariski topology is a particular Topology chosen for algebraic varieties that reflects the algebraic Alexandre Grothendieck solved this problem by introducing Grothendieck topologies, which axiomatize the notion of covering. Experimental infobox see Wikipedia talkPersondata before changing --> Alexander Grothendieck (born March 28, 1928 in Berlin, Germany In Category theory, a branch of Mathematics, a Grothendieck topology is a structure on a category C which makes the objects of C act like the Grothendieck's insight was that the definition of a sheaf depends only on the open sets of a topological space, not on the individual points. Once he had axiomatized the notion of covering, open sets could be replaced by other objects. A presheaf takes each one of these objects to data, just as before, and a sheaf is a presheaf that satisfies the gluing axiom with respect to our new notion of covering. This allowed Grothendieck to define étale cohomology and l-adic cohomology, which eventually were used to prove the Weil conjectures. In Mathematics, the étale cohomology groups of an algebraic variety or scheme are algebraic analogues of the usual cohomology groups with finite coefficients of a topological In Mathematics, the étale cohomology groups of an algebraic variety or scheme are algebraic analogues of the usual cohomology groups with finite coefficients of a topological
A category with a Grothendieck topology is called a site. A category of sheaves on a site is called a topos or a Grothendieck topos. The notion of a topos was later abstracted by William Lawvere and Miles Tierney to define an elementary topos, which has connections to mathematical logic. Francis William Lawvere (b February 9 1937 in Muncie Indiana is a Mathematician known for his work in Category theory, topos theory and the Philosophy In Mathematics, a topos (plural "topoi" or "toposes" is a type of category that behaves like the category of sheaves of sets Mathematical logic is a subfield of Logic and Mathematics with close connections to Computer science and Philosophical logic.
The first origins of sheaf theory are hard to pin down — they may be co-extensive with the idea of analytic continuation. In Complex analysis, a branch of Mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given Analytic function. It took about 15 years for a recognisable, free-standing theory of sheaves to emerge from the foundational work on cohomology. In Mathematics, specifically in Algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a Sequence of Abelian groups defined from a Cochain
At this point sheaves had become a mainstream part of mathematics, with use by no means restricted to algebraic topology. Algebraic topology is a branch of Mathematics which uses tools from Abstract algebra to study Topological spaces The basic goal is to find algebraic It was later discovered that the logic in categories of sheaves is intuitionistic logic (this observation is now often referred to as Kripke-Joyal semantics, but probably should be attributed to a number of authors). Intuitionistic logic, or constructivist logic, is the Symbolic logic system originally developed by Arend Heyting to provide a formal basis for Brouwer Kripke semantics (also known as relational semantics or frame semantics, and often confused with Possible world semantics) is a formal Semantics This shows that some of the facets of sheaf theory can also be traced back as far as Leibniz.