Bredon-style homology, cohomology and Riemann–Roch for algebraic stacks

Abstract

One of the main obstacles for proving Riemann–Roch for algebraic stacks is the lack of cohomology and homology theories that are closer to the K-theory and G-theory of algebraic stacks than the traditional cohomology and homology theories for algebraic stacks. In this paper we study in detail a family of cohomology and homology theories which we call Bredon-style theories that are of this type and in the spirit of the classical Bredon cohomology and homology theories defined for the actions of compact topological groups on topological spaces. We establish Riemann–Roch theorems in this setting: it is shown elsewhere that such Riemann–Roch theorems provide a powerful tool for deriving formulae involving virtual fundamental classes associated to dg-stacks, for example, moduli stacks of stable curves provided with a virtual structure sheaf associated to a perfect obstruction theory. We conclude the present paper with a brief application of this nature.