Finite dimensional motives and the Conjectures of Beilinson and Murre

We relate the notion of finite dimensionality of the Chow motive M(X) of a smooth projective variety X (as defined by S. Kimura) with the Conjectures of Beilinson, Bloch and Murre on the existence of a filtration on the Chow ring CH(X). We show (Theorem 14) that finite dimensionality of M(X) implies uniqueness, up to isomorphism, of Murre's decomposition of M(X). Conversely (Theorem 17), Murre's Conjecture for a suitable m-fold product of X by itself implies finite dimensionality of M(X). We also show (Theorem 27) that, for a surface X with trivial geometrical genus, the motive M(X) is finite dimensional if and only if the Chow group of 0-cycles of X is finite dimensional in the sense of Mumford, i.e. iff the Bloch Conjecture holds for X.