Cech approximation to the Brown-Gersten spectral sequence

Abstract

In this paper, we show that the étale index of a torsion cohomological Brauer class is divisible by the period of the class. The tool used to make this computation is the Čech approximation of the title. To create the approximation, we use the folklore theorem that the homotopy limit and Postnikov spectral sequences for a cosimplicial space agree beginning with the $E_2$-page. As far we know, this folklore theorem has no proof in the literature, so we include a proof.