[Math] Computing cohomology of hypersurface

differential-geometryhomology-cohomologyprojective-geometry

I'm taking a course on differential geometry now, and we got the following exercise from the lecturer: compute the (de Rham) cohomology groups $H_{dR}^i(M)$ of your favourite space.

In all the examples I've seen, these groups are only calculated for easy spaces, like spheres, tori, or combinations of these, or spaces that can be built from these.

However, even for the basic example of a smooth hypersurface in $\mathbb R^n$, the zero set of a polynomial in $n$ variables, I have no clue how to proceed.

So the question is this: let $M$ be the zero set in $\mathbb R^n$ of a smooth polynomial (i.e. such that the partial derivates and the polynomial share no zeros) in $n$ variables. What is, and how can I compute the de Rham cohomology groups of $M$?

If that makes it easier, assume the polynomial is homogeneous of degree $d$. Then how can one compute the de Rham cohomology groups of the corresponding projective hypersurface in $\mathbb {P}_{\mathbb R}^n$?

Added: For that matter, one could also ask the same question with $\mathbb R$ replaced by $\mathbb C$.

Best Answer

In this post I worked out, as an exercise, the answer for smooth projective complex hypersurfaces, not using de Rham cohomology. After applying the Lefschetz hyperplane theorem, the basic tool is characteristic classes.