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In [[mathematics]], especially in [[algebraic geometry]] and the theory of [[complex manifold]]s, '''coherent sheaves''' are a class of [[Sheaf (mathematics)|sheaves]] closely linked to the geometric properties of the underlying space. The definition of coherent sheaves is made with reference to a [[sheaf of rings]] that codifies this geometric information.

Coherent sheaves can be seen as a generalization of [[vector bundles]]. Unlike vector bundles, they form an [[abelian category]], and so they are closed under operations such as taking [[kernel (category theory)|kernels]], [[image (mathematics)|images]], and [[cokernel]]s. The  '''quasi-coherent sheaves''' are a generalization of coherent sheaves and include the locally free sheaves of infinite rank.

[[Coherent sheaf cohomology]] is a powerful technique, in particular for studying the sections of a given coherent sheaf.

== Definitions ==
A '''quasi-coherent sheaf''' on a [[ringed space]] (''X'',''O''<sub>''X''</sub>) is a sheaf ''F'' of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-[[sheaf of modules|modules]] which has a local presentation, that is, every point in ''X'' has an open neighborhood ''U'' in which there is an exact sequence
:<math>\mathcal{O}_X^{\oplus I}|_{U} \to \mathcal{O}_X^{\oplus J}|_{U} \to \mathcal{F}|_{U} \to 0</math>
for some sets ''I'' and ''J'' (possibly infinite).

A '''coherent sheaf''' on a [[ringed space]] (''X'',''O''<sub>''X''</sub>) is a quasi-coherent sheaf ''F'' satisfying the following two properties:
# ''F'' is of ''finite type'' over ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>, that is, every point in ''X'' has an [[open neighborhood]] ''U'' in ''X'' such that there is a surjective morphism ''O''{{sup sub| ''n'' | ''X''}}|<sub>''U''</sub> → ''F''|<sub>''U''</sub> for some natural number ''n'';
# for any open set ''U'' ⊂ ''X'', any natural number ''n'', and any morphism φ: ''O''{{sup sub| ''n'' | ''X''}}|<sub>''U''</sub> → ''F''|<sub>''U''</sub> of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-modules, the kernel of φ is of finite type.

Morphisms between (quasi-)coherent sheaves are the same as morphisms of sheaves of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-modules.

== The case of schemes ==

When ''X'' is a scheme, the general definitions above are equivalent to more explicit ones. A sheaf ''F'' of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-modules is quasi-coherent if and only if over each open [[affine scheme|affine subscheme]] ''U''=Spec(''R'') the restriction ''F''|<sub>''U''</sub> is isomorphic to a sheaf <math>\tilde{M}</math> [[Sheaf associated to a module|associated]] to the module ''M''=''Γ(U, F)'' over ''R''. When ''X'' is a locally Noetherian scheme, ''F'' is '''coherent''' if and only if it is quasi-coherent and the modules ''M'' above can be taken to be [[finitely generated module|finitely generated]].

On an affine scheme ''U'' = Spec ''A'', there is an [[equivalence of categories]] from ''A''-modules to quasi-coherent sheaves, taking a module ''M'' to the associated sheaf {{overset|~|''M''}}. The inverse equivalence takes a quasi-coherent sheaf ''F'' on ''U'' to the ''A''-module ''F''(''U'') of global sections of ''F''.

Here are several further characterizations of quasi-coherent sheaves on a scheme.<ref>{{harvnb|Mumford|loc=Ch. III, § 1, Theorem-Definition 3}}.</ref>
{{math_theorem|math_statement=Let ''X'' be a scheme and ''F'' an ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-module on it. Then the following are equivalent.
* ''F'' is quasi-coherent.
* For each open affine subscheme ''U'' of ''X'', ''F''<nowiki>|</nowiki><sub>''U''</sub> is isomorphic as an ''O''<sub>''U''</sub>-module to the sheaf {{overset|~|''M''}} associated to some ''O''(''U'')-module ''M''.
* There is an open affine cover <math>\{U_\alpha \}</math> of ''X'' such that for any ''U<sub>α</sub>'' from the cover ''F''<nowiki>|</nowiki><sub>''U''<sub>α</sub></sub> is the sheaf associated to some ''O''(''U''<sub>α</sub>)-module.
* For each pair of open affine subschemes ''V'' ⊂ ''U'' of ''X'', the natural homomorphism
*:<math>O(V) \otimes_{O(U)} F(U) \to F(V), \, f \otimes s \mapsto f\cdot s|_V</math>
:is an isomorphism.
*For each open affine subscheme ''U'' = Spec ''A'' of ''X'' and each ''f'' in ''A'', writing {''f'' ≠ 0} for the open subscheme of ''U'' where ''f'' is not zero, the natural homomorphism
*:<math>F(U)\bigg[\frac{1}{f}\bigg] \to F(\{f\neq 0\})</math>
:is an isomorphism. The homomorphism comes from the universal property of [[localization of a module|localization]].}}

== Properties ==
On an arbitrary ringed space quasi-coherent sheaves do not necessarily form an abelian category. On the other hand, the quasi-coherent sheaves on any [[scheme (mathematics)|scheme]] form an abelian category, and they are extremely useful in that context.<ref name=St01LA>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 01LA | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/01LA}}.</ref>

On any ringed space ''X'', the coherent sheaves form an abelian category, a [[full subcategory]] of the category of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-modules.<ref name=St01BU>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 01BU | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/01BU}}.</ref> (Analogously, the category of [[coherent module]]s over any ring ''R'' is a full abelian subcategory of the category of all ''R''-modules.) So the kernel, image, and cokernel of any map of coherent sheaves are coherent. The [[direct sum]] of two coherent sheaves is coherent; more generally, an ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-module that is an [[extension of modules|extension]] of two coherent sheaves is coherent.<ref>Serre (1955), section 13.</ref>

A submodule of a coherent sheaf is coherent if it is of finite type. A coherent sheaf is always an ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-module of ''finite presentation'', meaning that each point ''x'' in ''X'' has an open neighborhood ''U'' such that the restriction ''F''|<sub>''U''</sub> of ''F'' to ''U'' is isomorphic to the cokernel of a morphism ''O''<sub>''X''</sub><sup>''n''</sup>|<sub>''U''</sub> → ''O''<sub>''X''</sub><sup>''m''</sup>|<sub>''U''</sub> for some natural numbers ''n'' and ''m''. If ''O''<sub>''X''</sub> is coherent, then, conversely, every sheaf of finite presentation over ''O''<sub>''X''</sub> is coherent.

The sheaf of rings ''O''<sub>''X''</sub> is called coherent if it is coherent considered as a sheaf of modules over itself. In particular, the '''[[Oka coherence theorem]]''' states that the sheaf of holomorphic functions on a complex analytic space ''X'' is a coherent sheaf of rings. The main part of the proof is the case ''X'' = '''C'''<sup>''n''</sup>. Likewise, on a [[Noetherian scheme|locally Noetherian scheme]] ''X'', the structure sheaf ''O''<sub>''X''</sub> is a coherent sheaf of rings.<ref>Grothendieck, EGA I, Corollaire 1.5.2.</ref>

==Basic constructions of coherent sheaves==
* An ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-module  ''F'' on a ringed space ''X'' is called '''locally free of finite rank''', or a '''[[vector bundle]]''', if every point in ''X'' has an open neighborhood ''U'' such that the restriction ''F''|<sub>''U''</sub> is isomorphic to a finite direct sum of copies of ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>|<sub>''U''</sub>. If  ''F'' is free of the same rank ''n'' near every point of ''X'', then the vector bundle ''F'' is said to be of rank ''n''.
:Vector bundles in this sheaf-theoretic sense over a scheme ''X'' are equivalent to vector bundles defined in a more geometric way, as a scheme ''E'' with a morphism ''f'': ''E'' → ''X'' and with a covering of ''X'' by open sets ''U''<sub>α</sub> with given isomorphisms ''f''<sup>−1</sup>(''U''<sub>α</sub>) ≅ ''A''<sup>''n''</sup> × ''U''<sub>α</sub> over ''U''<sub>α</sub> such that the two isomorphisms over an intersection ''U''<sub>α</sub> ∩ ''U''<sub>β</sub> differ by a linear automorphism.<ref>Hartshorne (1977), Exercise II.5.18.</ref> (The analogous equivalence also holds for complex analytic spaces.) For example, given a vector bundle ''E'' in this geometric sense, the corresponding sheaf is defined by: the group of sections ''E''(''U'') over an open set ''U'' in ''X'' is the set of [[section (fiber bundle)|section]]s of the morphism ''f''<sup>−1</sup>(''U'') → ''U''. The sheaf-theoretic interpretation of vector bundles has the advantage that vector bundles (on a locally Noetherian scheme) are included in the abelian category of coherent sheaves.

*Locally free sheaves come equipped with the standard <math>\mathcal{O}_X</math>-module operations, but these give back locally free sheaves.{{vague|date=May 2018}}
<!-- Some definitions are unclear like O(a), which need not be locally free in general
*If we take the dual of <math>\mathcal{O}_X(a)</math> for a projective scheme <math>X</math> this is isomorphic to <math>\mathcal{O}_X(-a)</math>.
*Given locally free sheaves <math>\mathcal{E},\mathcal{E}'</math> there is the locally-free sheaf <math>\mathcal{H}om_{\mathcal{O}_X}(\mathcal{E},\mathcal{E}')</math> called the '''hom-sheaf''' defined by <math>\mathcal{H}om_{\mathcal{O}_X}(\mathcal{E},\mathcal{E}')(U) \cong \text{Hom}_{\mathcal{O}_X|_U}(\mathcal{E}|_U,\mathcal{E}'|_U)</math>. If <math>\mathcal{E}=\mathcal{E}'</math>, then this sheaf of rings is denoted as <math>\mathcal{End}(\mathcal{E})</math>. In many case the hom-sheaf is readily computably: over a projective scheme <math>X</math> we have that <math>\mathcal{H}om_{\mathcal{O}_X}(\mathcal{O}_X(a),\mathcal{O}_X(b))
 \cong \mathcal{O}_X(b-a)</math>. Using this fact we can find that the endomorphism ring of <math>\mathcal{E} = \mathcal{O}_X(a)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X(b)</math> can be represented as the matrix algebra
:<math>
\mathcal{E}nd_{\mathcal{O}_X}(\mathcal{E})(X)= \text{End}(\mathcal{E}) =\begin{bmatrix}
\Gamma(\mathcal{O}_X) & \Gamma(\mathcal{O}_X(a-b)) \\
\Gamma(\mathcal{O}_X(b-a)) & \Gamma(\mathcal{O}_X)
\end{bmatrix}
</math>
*We can also find that the tensor product of the line bundles <math>\mathcal{O}_{X}(a)\otimes\mathcal{O}_X(b) \cong \mathcal{O}_X(a+b)</math>
*Using the fact that <math>\wedge^2 \mathcal{O}(a) \cong 0</math> and the fact that <math>\mathcal{E}\otimes \mathcal{E} \cong \text{Sym}^2(\mathcal{E})\oplus\wedge^2\mathcal{E}</math> we can see that
:<math>
\begin{align}
\bigwedge^2 (\mathcal{O}_X(a)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X(b)) &\cong \mathcal{O}_X(a+b) \\
\text{Sym}^2(\mathcal{O}_X(a)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X(b)) &\cong \mathcal{O}_X(2a)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X(2b)
\end{align}
</math> -->

*Let ''X'' = Spec(''R''), ''R'' a Noetherian ring. Then vector bundles on ''X'' are exactly the sheaves associated to finitely generated [[projective module]]s over ''R'', or (equivalently) to finitely generated [[flat module]]s over ''R''.<ref name=St00NV>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 00NV | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/00NV}}.</ref>

*Let ''X'' = Proj(''R''), ''R'' a Noetherian <math>\N</math>-graded ring, be a [[projective scheme]] over a Noetherian ring ''R''<sub>0</sub>. Then each <math>\Z</math>-graded ''R''-module ''M'' determines a quasi-coherent sheaf ''F'' on ''X'' such that <math>F|_{\{ f \ne 0 \}}</math> is the sheaf associated to the <math>R[f^{-1}]_0</math>-module <math>M[f^{-1}]_0</math>, where ''f'' is a homogeneous element of ''R'' of positive degree and <math>\{f \ne 0 \} = \operatorname{Spec} R[f^{-1}]_0</math> is the locus where ''f'' doesn't vanish.

*For example, for each integer ''n'', let ''R''(''n'') denote the graded ''R''-module given by <math>R(n)_l =R_{n+l}</math>. Then each <math>R(n)</math> determines the quasi-coherent sheaf <math>\mathcal{O}_X(n)</math> on ''X''. If ''R'' is generated as ''R''<sub>0</sub>-algebra by ''R''<sub>1</sub>, then <math>\mathcal{O}_X(n)</math> are line bundles (invertible sheaves) on ''X'' and <math>\mathcal{O}_X(n)</math> is the ''n''-th tensor power of <math>\mathcal{O}_X(1)</math>. In particular, <math>\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{P}^n}(-1)</math> is called the [[tautological line bundle]] on the projective ''n''-space.

*A simple example of a coherent sheaf on <math>\mathbb{P}^2</math> which is not a vector bundle is given by the cokernel in the following sequence
::<math>\mathcal{O}(1) \xrightarrow{\cdot (x^2-yz,y^3 + xy^2 - xyz)} \mathcal{O}(3)\oplus \mathcal{O}(4) \to \mathcal{E} \to 0</math>
:this is because <math>\mathcal{E}</math> restricted to the vanishing locus of the two polynomials is the zero object.

* [[Ideal sheaf|Ideal sheaves]]: If ''Z'' is a closed subscheme of a locally Noetherian scheme ''X'', the sheaf ''I''<sub>''Z''/''X''</sub> of all regular functions vanishing on ''Z'' is coherent. Likewise, if ''Z'' is a closed analytic subspace of a complex analytic space ''X'', the ideal sheaf ''I''<sub>''Z''/''X''</sub> is coherent.

* The structure sheaf ''O<sub>Z</sub>'' of a closed subscheme ''Z'' of a locally Noetherian scheme ''X'' can be viewed as a coherent sheaf on ''X''. To be precise, this is the [[direct image sheaf]] ''i''<sub>*</sub>''O<sub>Z</sub>'', where ''i'': ''Z'' → ''X'' is the inclusion. Likewise for a closed analytic subspace of a complex analytic space. The sheaf ''i''<sub>*</sub>''O''<sub>''Z''</sub> has fiber (defined below) of dimension zero at points in the open set ''X''−''Z'', and fiber of dimension 1 at points in ''Z''. There is a [[short exact sequence]] of coherent sheaves on ''X'':
::<math>0\to I_{Z/X} \to O_X \to i_*O_Z \to 0.</math>

*Most operations of [[linear algebra]] preserve coherent sheaves. In particular, for coherent sheaves ''F'' and ''G'' on a ringed space ''X'', the [[tensor product]] sheaf ''F''⊗ <sub>''O''<sub>''X''</sub></sub>''G'' and the [[sheaf hom|sheaf of homomorphisms]] Hom<sub>''O''<sub>''X''</sub></sub>(''F'',''G'') are coherent.<ref>Serre (1955), section 14.</ref>

*A simple '''non-example of a quasi-coherent sheaf''' is given by the extension by zero functor. For example, consider <math>i_!\mathcal{O}_X</math> for
::<math>X = \text{Spec}(\Complex[x,x^{-1}]) \xrightarrow{i} \text{Spec}(\Complex[x])=Y</math><ref>{{Cite book|title=Algebraic Geometry|last=Hartshorne|first=Robin|publisher=|year=|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref>
:Since this sheaf has non-trivial stalks, but zero global sections, this cannot be a quasi-coherent sheaf. This is because quasi-coherent sheaves on an affine scheme are equivalent to the category of modules over the underlying ring, and the adjunction comes from taking global sections.

==Functoriality==
Let ƒ: ''X'' → ''Y'' be a morphism of ringed spaces (for example, a [[morphism of schemes]]). If ''F'' is a quasi-coherent sheaf on ''Y'', then the [[inverse image sheaf|inverse image]] ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>-module (or '''pullback''') ''f''*''F'' is quasi-coherent on ''X''.<ref name=St01BG>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 01BG | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/01BG}}.</ref> For a morphism of schemes ''f'': ''X'' → ''Y'' and a coherent sheaf ''F'' on ''Y'', the pullback ''f''<sup>*</sup>''F'' is not coherent in full generality (for example, ''f''*''O''<sub>''Y''</sub> = ''O''<sub>''X''</sub>, which might not be coherent), but pullbacks of coherent sheaves are coherent if ''X'' is locally Noetherian. An important special case is the pullback of a vector bundle, which is a vector bundle.

If ''f'': ''X'' → ''Y'' is a [[quasi-compact]] [[Glossary of scheme theory#Separated and proper morphisms|quasi-separated]] morphism of schemes and ''E'' is a quasi-coherent sheaf on ''X'', then the direct image sheaf (or '''pushforward''') ''f''<sub>*</sub>''E'' is quasi-coherent on ''Y''.<ref name=St01LA/>

The direct image of a coherent sheaf is often not coherent. For example, for a [[field (mathematics)|field]] ''k'', let ''X'' be the affine line over ''k'', and consider the morphism ''f'': ''X'' → Spec(''k''); then the direct image ''f''<sub>*</sub>''O''<sub>''X''</sub> is the sheaf on Spec(''k'') associated to the polynomial ring ''k''[''x''], which is not coherent because ''k''[''x''] has infinite dimension as a ''k''-vector space. On the other hand, the direct image of a coherent sheaf under a [[proper morphism]] is coherent, by [[Coherent sheaf cohomology#Finite-dimensionality of cohomology|results of Grauert and Grothendieck]].

==Local behavior of coherent sheaves==
An important feature of coherent sheaves ''F'' is that the properties of ''F'' at a point ''p'' control the behavior of ''F'' in a neighborhood of ''p'', more than would be true for an arbitrary sheaf. For example, [[Nakayama's lemma]] says (in geometric language) that if ''F'' is a coherent sheaf on a scheme ''X'', then the '''fiber''' ''F''<sub>''p''</sub>⊗<sub>''O''<sub>''X'',''p''</sub></sub>''k''(''p'') of ''F'' at a point ''p'' (a vector space over the residue field ''k''(''p'')) is zero if and only if the sheaf ''F'' is zero on some open neighborhood of ''p''. A related fact is that the dimension of the fibers of a coherent sheaf is [[Semi-continuity|upper-semicontinuous]].<ref>Hartshorne (1977), Example III.12.7.2.</ref> Thus a coherent sheaf has constant rank on an open set, while the rank can jump up on a lower-dimensional closed subset.

In the same spirit: a coherent sheaf ''F'' on a scheme ''X'' is a vector bundle if and only if its [[Stalk of a sheaf|stalk]] ''F''<sub>''p''</sub> is a [[free module|free]] module over the local ring ''O''<sub>''X'',''p''</sub> for every point ''p'' in ''X''.<ref>Grothendieck, EGA I, Ch. 0, 5.2.7.</ref>

On a general scheme, one cannot determine whether a coherent sheaf is a vector bundle just from its fibers (as opposed to its stalks). On a [[reduced scheme|reduced]] locally Noetherian scheme, however, a coherent sheaf is a vector bundle if and only if its rank is locally constant.<ref>Eisenbud (1995), Exercise 20.13.</ref>

==Examples of vector bundles==
For a morphism of schemes ''X'' → ''Y'', let Δ: ''X'' → ''X'' ×<sub>''Y''</sub> ''X'' be the [[diagonal morphism]], which is a [[closed immersion]] if ''X'' is [[separated scheme|separated]] over ''Y''. Let ''I'' be the ideal sheaf of ''X'' in ''X'' ×<sub>''Y''</sub> ''X''. Then the sheaf of '''[[Kähler differential|differentials]]''' Ω<sup>1</sup><sub>''X''/''Y''</sub> can be defined as the pullback Δ*(''I'') of ''I'' to ''X''. Sections of this sheaf are called [[differential form|1-forms]] on ''X'' over ''Y'', and they can be written locally on ''X'' as finite sums ∑ ''f''<sub>''j''</sub> d''g''<sub>''j''</sub> for regular functions ''f''<sub>''j''</sub> and ''g''<sub>''j''</sub>. If ''X'' is locally of finite type over a field ''k'', then Ω<sup>1</sup><sub>''X''/''k''</sub> is a coherent sheaf on ''X''.

If ''X'' is [[smooth scheme|smooth]] over ''k'', then Ω<sup>1</sup> (meaning Ω<sup>1</sup><sub>''X''/''k''</sub>) is a vector bundle over ''X'', called the '''[[cotangent bundle]]''' of ''X''. Then the '''[[tangent bundle]]''' ''TX'' is defined to be the dual bundle (Ω<sup>1</sup>)*. For ''X'' smooth over ''k'' of dimension ''n'' everywhere, the tangent bundle has rank ''n''.

If ''Y'' is a smooth closed subscheme of a smooth scheme ''X'' over ''k'', then there is a short exact sequence of vector bundles on ''Y'':
:<math>0\to TY \to TX|_Y \to N_{Y/X}\to 0,</math>
which can be used as a definition of the '''[[normal bundle]]''' ''N''<sub>''Y''/''X''</sub> to ''Y'' in ''X''.

For a smooth scheme ''X'' over a field ''k'' and a natural number ''a'', the vector bundle Ω<sup>''a''</sup> of [[differential form|''a''-forms]] on ''X'' is defined as the ''a''th [[exterior power]] of the cotangent bundle, Ω<sup>''a''</sup> = Λ<sup>''a''</sup>Ω<sup>1</sup>. For a smooth [[algebraic variety|variety]] ''X'' of dimension ''n'' over ''k'', the '''[[canonical bundle]]''' ''K''<sub>''X''</sub> means the line bundle Ω<sup>''n''</sup>. Thus sections of the canonical bundle are algebro-geometric analogs of [[volume form]]s on ''X''. For example, a section of the canonical bundle of affine space ''A''<sup>''n''</sup> over ''k''
can be written as
:<math>f(x_1,\ldots,x_n) \; dx_1 \wedge\cdots\wedge dx_n,</math>
where ''f'' is a polynomial with coefficients in ''k''.

Let ''R'' be a commutative ring and ''n'' a natural number. For each integer ''j'', there is an important example of a line bundle on projective space '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> over ''R'', called ''O''(''j''). To define this, consider the morphism of ''R''-schemes
:<math>\pi\colon A^{n+1}-0\to \mathbf{P}^n</math>
given in coordinates by (''x''<sub>0</sub>,...,''x''<sub>''n''</sub>) ↦ [''x''<sub>0</sub>,...,''x''<sub>''n''</sub>]. (That is, thinking of projective space as the space of 1-dimensional linear subspaces of affine space, send a nonzero point in affine space to the line that it spans.) Then a section of ''O''(''j'') over an open subset ''U'' of '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> is defined to be a regular function ''f'' on π<sup>−1</sup>(''U'') that is homogeneous of degree ''j'', meaning that
:<math>f(ax)=a^jf(x)</math>
as regular functions on (''A''<sup>1</sup> − 0) × π<sup>−1</sup>(''U''). For all integers ''i'' and ''j'', there is an isomorphism ''O''(''i'') ⊗ ''O''(''j'') ≅ ''O''(''i''+''j'') of line bundles on '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup>.

In particular, every [[homogeneous polynomial]] in ''x''<sub>0</sub>,...,''x''<sub>''n''</sub> of degree ''j'' over ''R'' can be viewed as a global section of ''O''(''j'') over '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup>. Note that every closed subscheme of projective space can be defined as the zero set of some collection of homogeneous polynomials, hence as the zero set of some sections of the line bundles ''O''(''j'').<ref>Hartshorne (1977), Corollary II.5.16.</ref> This contrasts with the simpler case of affine space, where a closed subscheme is simply the zero set of some collection of regular functions. The regular functions on projective space '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> over ''R'' are just the "constants" (the ring ''R''), and so it is essential to work with the line bundles ''O''(''j'').

[[Jean-Pierre Serre|Serre]] gave an algebraic description of all coherent sheaves on projective space, more subtle than what happens for affine space. Namely, let ''R'' be a Noetherian ring (for example, a field), and consider the polynomial ring ''S'' = ''R''[''x''<sub>0</sub>,...,''x''<sub>''n''</sub>] as a [[graded ring]] with each ''x''<sub>''i''</sub> having degree 1. Then every finitely generated graded ''S''-module ''M'' has an [[Proj construction#The sheaf associated to a graded module|associated]] coherent sheaf {{overset|~|''M''}} on '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> over ''R''. Every coherent sheaf on '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> arises in this way from a finitely generated graded ''S''-module ''M''. (For example, the line bundle ''O''(''j'') is the sheaf associated to the ''S''-module ''S'' with its grading lowered by ''j''.) But the ''S''-module ''M'' that yields a given coherent sheaf on '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> is not unique; it is only unique up to changing ''M'' by graded modules that are nonzero in only finitely many degrees. More precisely, the abelian category of coherent sheaves on '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> is the [[quotient of an abelian category|quotient]] of the category of finitely generated graded ''S''-modules by the [[Serre subcategory]] of modules that are nonzero in only finitely many degrees.<ref name=St01YR>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 01YR | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/01YR}}.</ref>

The tangent bundle of projective space '''P'''<sup>''n''</sup> over a field ''k'' can be described in terms of the line bundle ''O''(1). Namely, there is a short exact sequence, the [[Euler sequence]]:
:<math> 0\to O_{\mathbf{P}^n}\to O(1)^{\oplus \; n+1}\to T\mathbf{P}^n\to 0.</math>
It follows that the canonical bundle ''K''<sub>'''P'''<sup>''n''</sup></sub> (the dual of the [[determinant line bundle]] of the tangent bundle) is isomorphic to ''O''(−''n''−1). This is a fundamental calculation for algebraic geometry. For example, the fact that the canonical bundle is a negative multiple of the [[ample line bundle]] ''O''(1) means that projective space is a [[Fano variety]]. Over the complex numbers, this means that projective space has a [[Kähler metric]] with positive [[Ricci curvature]].

=== Vector bundles on a hypersurface ===
Consider a smooth degree <math>d</math> hypersurface <math>X \subset \mathbb{P}^n</math> defined by the homogeneous polynomial <math>f</math>. Then, there is an exact sequence
:<math>0 \to \mathcal{O}_X(-d) \to i^*\Omega_{\mathbb{P}^n} \to \Omega_X \to 0 </math>
where the second map is the pullback of differential forms, and the first map sends
:<math> \phi \mapsto d(f\cdot \phi)</math>
Note that this sequence tells us that <math>\mathcal{O}(-d)</math> is the conormal sheaf of <math>X</math> in <math>\mathbb{P}^n</math>. Dualizing this yields the exact sequence
:<math> 0 \to T_X \to i^*T_{\mathbb{P}^n} \to \mathcal{O}(d) \to 0</math>
hence <math>\mathcal{O}(d)</math> is the normal bundle of <math>X</math> in <math>\mathbb{P}^n</math>. If we use the fact that given an exact sequence
:<math>0 \to \mathcal{E}_1 \to \mathcal{E}_2 \to \mathcal{E}_3 \to 0</math>
of vector bundles with ranks <math>e_1,e_2,e_3</math>, there is an isomorphism
:<math>\Lambda^{e_2}\mathcal{E}_2 \cong \Lambda^{e_1}\mathcal{E}_1\otimes \Lambda^{e_3}\mathcal{E}_3</math>
of line bundles, then we see that there is the isomorphism
:<math>i^*\omega_{\mathbb{P}^n} \cong \omega_X\otimes \mathcal{O}_X(-d)</math>
showing that
:<math>\omega_X \cong \mathcal{O}_X(d - n -1)</math>

==Chern classes and algebraic ''K''-theory==
A vector bundle ''E'' on a smooth variety ''X'' over a field has [[Chern class]]es in the [[Chow ring]] of ''X'', ''c''<sub>''i''</sub>(''E'') in CH<sup>''i''</sup>(''X'') for ''i'' ≥ 0.<ref>Fulton (1998), section 3.2 and Example 8.3.3.</ref> These satisfy the same formal properties as Chern classes in topology. For example, for any short exact sequence
:<math>0\to A \to B \to C \to 0</math>
of vector bundles on ''X'', the Chern classes of ''B'' are given by
:<math>c_i(B) = c_i(A)+c_1(A)c_{i-1}(C)+\cdots+c_{i-1}(A)c_1(C)+c_i(C).</math>

It follows that the Chern classes of a vector bundle ''E'' depend only on the class of ''E'' in the [[Grothendieck group]] ''K''<sub>0</sub>(''X''). By definition, for a scheme ''X'', ''K''<sub>0</sub>(''X'') is the quotient of the free abelian group on the set of isomorphism classes of vector bundles on ''X'' by the relation that [B] = [A] + [C] for any short exact sequence as above. Although ''K''<sub>0</sub>(''X'') is hard to compute in general, [[algebraic K-theory]] provides many tools for studying it, including a sequence of related groups ''K''<sub>''i''</sub>(''X'') for integers ''i''.

A variant is the group ''G''<sub>0</sub>(''X'') (or ''K''<sub>0</sub>'(''X'')), the Grothendieck group of coherent sheaves on ''X''. (In topological terms, ''G''-theory has the formal properties of a [[Borel–Moore homology]] theory for schemes, while ''K''-theory is the corresponding [[cohomology theory]].) The natural homomorphism ''K''<sub>0</sub>(''X'') → ''G''<sub>0</sub>(''X'') is an isomorphism if ''X'' is a [[regular scheme|regular]] separated Noetherian scheme, using that every coherent sheaf has a finite [[resolution (algebra)|resolution]] by vector bundles in that case.<ref>Fulton (1998), B.8.3.</ref> For example, that gives a definition of the Chern classes of a coherent sheaf on a smooth variety over a field.

More generally, a Noetherian scheme ''X'' is said to have the '''resolution property''' if every coherent sheaf on ''X'' has a surjection from some vector bundle on ''X''. For example, every quasi-projective scheme over a Noetherian ring has the resolution property.

== Bundle homomorphism vs. sheaf homomorphism ==
When vector bundles and locally free sheaves of finite constant rank are used interchangeably,
care must be given to distinguish between bundle homomorphisms and sheaf homomorphisms. Specifically, given vector bundles <math>p: E \to X, \, q: F \to X</math>, by definition, a bundle homomorphism <math>\varphi: E \to F</math> is a [[scheme morphism]] over ''X'' (i.e., <math>p = q \circ \varphi</math>) such that, for each geometric point ''x'' in ''X'', <math>\varphi: p^{-1}(x) \to q^{-1}(x)</math> is a linear map of rank independent of ''x''. Thus, it induces the sheaf homomorphism <math>\widetilde{\varphi}: \widetilde{E} \to \widetilde{F}</math> of constant rank between the corresponding locally free <math>\mathcal{O}_X</math>-modules (sheaves of dual sections). But there may be an <math>\mathcal{O}_X</math>-module homomorphism that does not arise this way; namely, those not having constant rank.

In particular, a subbundle <math>E \subset F</math> is a subsheaf (<math>E, F</math> viewed as sheaves). But the converse can fail; for example, for an effective Cartier divisor ''D'' on ''X'', <math>\mathcal{O}_X(-D) \subset \mathcal{O}_X</math> is a subsheaf but typically not a subbundle (since any line bundle has only two subbundles).

==The category of quasi-coherent sheaves==
Quasi-coherent sheaves on any scheme form an abelian category. [[Ofer Gabber|Gabber]] showed that, in fact, the quasi-coherent sheaves on any scheme form a particularly well-behaved abelian category, a [[Grothendieck category]].<ref name=St077K>{{Citation | title=Stacks Project, Tag 077K | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/tag/077K}}.</ref> A quasi-compact quasi-separated scheme ''X'' (such as an algebraic variety over a field) is determined up to isomorphism by the abelian category of quasi-coherent sheaves on ''X'', by Rosenberg, generalizing a result of [[Pierre Gabriel|Gabriel]].<ref>Antieau (2016), Corollary 4.2.</ref>

==Coherent cohomology==
{{main|Coherent sheaf cohomology}}
The fundamental technical tool in algebraic geometry is the cohomology theory of coherent sheaves. Although it was introduced only in the 1950s, many earlier techniques of algebraic geometry are clarified by the language of [[sheaf cohomology]] applied to coherent sheaves. Broadly speaking, coherent sheaf cohomology can be viewed as a tool for producing functions with specified properties; sections of line bundles or of more general sheaves can be viewed as generalized functions. In complex analytic geometry, coherent sheaf cohomology also plays a foundational role.

Among the core results of coherent sheaf cohomology are results on finite-dimensionality of cohomology, results on the vanishing of cohomology in various cases, duality theorems such as [[Serre duality]], relations between topology and algebraic geometry such as [[Hodge theory]], and formulas for [[Euler characteristic]]s of coherent sheaves such as the [[Riemann–Roch theorem]].

==See also==
* [[Picard group]]
* [[Divisor (algebraic geometry)]]
* [[Reflexive sheaf]]
* [[Quot scheme]]
* [[Twisted sheaf]]
* [[Essentially finite vector bundle]]
* [[Bundle of principal parts]]
* [[Gabriel–Rosenberg reconstruction theorem]]
* [[Pseudo-coherent sheaf]]
* [[Quasi-coherent sheaf on an algebraic stack]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==

*{{Citation|author1-first=Benjamin|author1-last=Antieau|title=A reconstruction theorem for abelian categories of twisted sheaves|journal=Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik|volume=712|year=2016|pages=175–188|doi=10.1515/crelle-2013-0119 | mr=3466552|arxiv=1305.2541}}
*{{eom|id=c/c022980|title=Coherent algebraic sheaf|first=V. I. |last= Danilov}}
*{{Citation|author1-first=Hans|author1-last=Grauert|author1-link=Grauert|author2-first=Reinhold|author2-last=Remmert|author2-link=Reinhold Remmert|title=Coherent Analytic Sheaves|publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]]|year=1984|isbn=3-540-13178-7|mr=0755331|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-69582-7}}
*{{Citation | author1-last=Eisenbud | author1-first=David | author1-link=David Eisenbud | title=Commutative Algebra with a View toward Algebraic Geometry | year=1995 | publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] | series=[[Graduate Texts in Mathematics]] | volume=150 | location=Berlin, New York | isbn=978-0-387-94268-1 | mr=1322960 | doi=10.1007/978-1-4612-5350-1}}
* {{Citation | last1=Fulton | first1=William | author1-link=William Fulton (mathematician) | title=Intersection Theory | publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] | location=Berlin, New York | isbn=978-0-387-98549-7 | mr=1644323 | year=1998 | doi=10.1007/978-1-4612-1700-8}}
*Sections 0.5.3 and 0.5.4 of {{EGA|book=I}}
*{{Hartshorne AG}}
*{{cite book | last=Mumford | first=David | authorlink=David Mumford | year=1999 | title=The Red Book of Varieties and Schemes: Includes the Michigan Lectures (1974) on Curves and Their Jacobians | edition=2nd | publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] | doi=10.1007/b62130 | isbn=354063293X | mr=1748380}}
*{{eom|id=c/c022990|title=Coherent analytic sheaf|first=A.L.|last= Onishchik}}
*{{Springer|title=Coherent sheaf|id=C/c023020|first=A.L.|last= Onishchik}}
*{{Citation|author1-first=Jean-Pierre|author1-last=Serre|author1-link=Jean-Pierre Serre|title=Faisceaux algébriques cohérents|journal=Annals of Mathematics|volume=61|pages=197–278|year=1955|doi=10.2307/1969915|mr=0068874}}

==External links==
*{{Citation | author1=The Stacks Project Authors | title=The Stacks Project  | url=http://stacks.math.columbia.edu/}}
*Part V of {{Citation | author1-first=Ravi | author1-last=Vakil | author1-link=Ravi Vakil | title=The Rising Sea | url=http://math.stanford.edu/~vakil/216blog/}}

[[Category:Algebraic geometry]]
[[Category:Sheaf theory]]
[[Category:Vector bundles]]
[[Category:Topological methods of algebraic geometry]]
[[Category:Complex manifolds]]