Subject: question on the intersection homology of a Stein space
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 13:07:37 -0500
From: Laurentiu George Maxim <lmaxim@math.upenn.edu>
To: dmd1@lehigh.edu

Hi,

I'd like to ask the following question:
  let X be an n-dimensional Stein space, R a PID, L a local system of
R-modules on a dense open subset of X.
Consider then middle-perversity intersection homology groups IH(X;L)
with closed and resp. compact supports.
The vanishing theorem of Artin asserts that these groups are zero above
n (for compact supports) and resp. below n (for closed supports).
A refinement of this result (proven by Fieseler and Kaup) also asserts
that, for compact supports, the group IH_n is torsion-free.
Is this statement true if one considers closed supports instead ?
Is there any reference in the literature concerning this aspect?

thanks,
max

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurentiu Maxim
Department of Mathematics
University of Pennsylvania
209 S 33rd St
Philadelphia, PA-19104-6395