The Stacks project

Proof. The pushforward of a quasi-coherent module along a quasi-compact and quasi-separated morphism is quasi-coherent, see Morphisms of Spaces, Lemma 67.11.2. Hence $s_*t^*\mathcal{G}$ is quasi-coherent. With notation as in Lemma 78.11.4 we have

The middle equality because $t \circ c = t \circ \text{pr}_0$ as morphisms $R \times _{s, U, t} R \to U$, and the first and the last equality because we know that base change and pushforward commute in these steps by Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.11.2.

To verify the cocycle condition of Definition 78.12.1 for $\alpha $ and the adjointness property we describe the construction $\mathcal{G} \mapsto (s_*t^*\mathcal{G}, \alpha )$ in another way. Consider the groupoid scheme $(R, R \times _{t, U, t} R, \text{pr}_0, \text{pr}_1, \text{pr}_{02})$ associated to the equivalence relation $R \times _{t, U, t} R$ on $R$, see Lemma 78.11.3. There is a morphism

of groupoid schemes given by $s : R \to U$ and $R \times _{t, U, t} R \to R$ given by $(r_0, r_1) \mapsto r_0^{-1} \circ r_1$; we omit the verification of the commutativity of the required diagrams. Since $t, s : R \to U$ are quasi-compact, quasi-separated, and flat, and since we have a cartesian square

by Lemma 78.11.5 it follows that Lemma 78.12.4 applies to $f$. Thus pushforward and pullback of quasi-coherent modules along $f$ are adjoint functors. To finish the proof we will identify these functors with the functors described above. To do this, note that

is an equivalence by the theory of descent of quasi-coherent sheaves as $\{ t : R \to U\} $ is an fpqc covering, see Descent on Spaces, Proposition 74.4.1.

Pushforward along $f$ precomposed with the equivalence $t^*$ sends $\mathcal{G}$ to $(s_*t^*\mathcal{G}, \alpha )$; we omit the verification that the isomorphism $\alpha $ obtained in this fashion is the same as the one constructed above.

Pullback along $f$ postcomposed with the inverse of the equivalence $t^*$ sends $(\mathcal{F}, \beta )$ to the descent relative to $\{ t : R \to U\} $ of the module $s^*\mathcal{F}$ endowed with the descent datum $\gamma $ on $R \times _{t, U, t} R$ which is the pullback of $\beta $ by $(r_0, r_1) \mapsto r_0^{-1} \circ r_1$. Consider the isomorphism $\beta : t^*\mathcal{F} \to s^*\mathcal{F}$. The canonical descent datum (Descent on Spaces, Definition 74.3.3) on $t^*\mathcal{F}$ relative to $\{ t : R \to U\} $ translates via $\beta $ into the map

Since $\beta $ satisfies the cocycle condition, this is equal to the pullback of $\beta $ by $(r_0, r_1) \mapsto r_0^{-1} \circ r_1$. To see this take the actual cocycle relation in Definition 78.12.1 and pull it back by the morphism $(\text{pr}_0, c \circ (i, 1)) : R \times _{t, U, t} R \to R \times _{s, U, t} R$ which also plays a role in the commutative diagram of Lemma 78.11.5. It follows that $(s^*\mathcal{F}, \gamma )$ is isomorphic to $(t^*\mathcal{F}, can)$. All in all, we conclude that pullback by $f$ postcomposed with the inverse of the equivalence $t^*$ is isomorphic to the forgetful functor $(\mathcal{F}, \beta ) \mapsto \mathcal{F}$. $\square$

Proof. We will freely use the characterization of coherent modules of Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.12.2 as well as the fact that coherent modules form a Serre subcategory of $\mathit{QCoh}(\mathcal{O}_ X)$, see Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.12.4. If $f$ has a section $\sigma $, then we see that $\mathcal{F} \cap f_*\mathcal{G}$ is contained in the image of $\sigma ^*\mathcal{G} \to \sigma ^*f^*\mathcal{F} = \mathcal{F}$, hence coherent. In general, to show that $\mathcal{F} \cap f_*\mathcal{G}$ is coherent, it suffices the show that $f^*(\mathcal{F} \cap f_*\mathcal{G})$ is coherent (see Descent on Spaces, Lemma 74.6.1). Since $f$ is flat this is equal to $f^*\mathcal{F} \cap f^*f_*\mathcal{G}$. Since $f$ is flat, quasi-compact, and quasi-separated we see $f^*f_*\mathcal{G} = p_*q^*\mathcal{G}$ where $p, q : Y \times _ X Y \to Y$ are the projections, see Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.11.2. Since $p$ has a section we win. $\square$

Proof. We will use the characterization of Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.12.2 of coherent modules on locally Noetherian algebraic spaces without further mention. We can write $\mathcal{F} = \mathop{\mathrm{colim}}\nolimits \mathcal{H}_ i$ as the filtered colimit of coherent submodules $\mathcal{H}_ i \subset \mathcal{F}$, see Cohomology of Spaces, Lemma 69.15.1. Given a quasi-coherent sheaf $\mathcal{H}$ on $U$ we denote $(s_*t^*\mathcal{H}, \alpha )$ the quasi-coherent sheaf on $(U, R, s, t, c)$ of Lemma 78.13.1. Consider the adjunction map $(\mathcal{F}, \beta ) \to (s_*t^*\mathcal{F}, \alpha )$ in $\mathit{QCoh}(U, R, s, t, c)$, see Remark 78.13.2. Set

in $\mathit{QCoh}(U, R, s, t, c)$. Since restriction to $U$ is an exact functor on $\mathit{QCoh}(U, R, s, t, c)$ by the proof of Lemma 78.12.6 we obtain a pullback diagram

in other words $\mathcal{F}_ i = \mathcal{F} \cap s_*t^*\mathcal{H}_ i$. By the description of the adjunction map in Remark 78.13.2 this diagram is isomorphic to the diagram

where the right vertical arrow is the result of applying $s_*$ to the map

This arrow is injective as $t$ is a flat morphism. It follows that $\mathcal{F}_ i$ is coherent by Lemma 78.13.3. Finally, because $s$ is quasi-compact and quasi-separated we see that $s_*$ commutes with colimits (see Cohomology of Schemes, Lemma 30.6.1). Hence $s_*t^*\mathcal{F} = \mathop{\mathrm{colim}}\nolimits s_*t^*\mathcal{H}_ i$ and hence $(\mathcal{F}, \beta ) = \mathop{\mathrm{colim}}\nolimits (\mathcal{F}_ i, \beta _ i)$ as desired. $\square$