On the topological computation of K_4 of the Gaussian and Eisenstein integers.

Abstract

In this paper we use topological tools to investigate the structure of the algebraic K-groups K4(R) for R=Z[i] and R=Z[ρ] where i:=−1−−−√ and ρ:=(1+−3−−−√)/2. We exploit the close connection between homology groups of GLn(R) for n≤5 and those of related classifying spaces, then compute the former using Voronoi’s reduction theory of positive definite quadratic and Hermitian forms to produce a very large finite cell complex on which GLn(R) acts. Our main result is that K4(Z[i]) and K4(Z[ρ]) have no p-torsion for p≥5.