Under suitable hypotheses, we prove that a form of a projective homogeneous variety $G/P$ defined over the function field of a surface over an algebraically closed field has a rational point. The method uses an algebro-geometric analogue of simple connectedness replacing the unit interval by the projective line. As a consequence, we complete the proof of Serre's Conjecture II in Galois cohomology for function fields over an algebraically closed field.
Let U be an open subset of a unirational variety. We prove that there is rational curve C in U such that the fundamental group of C surjects onto the fundamental group of U. As a consequence we obtain new proofs of the theorems of Harbater and Colliot-Thélène on Galois covers and torsors over the p-adic line. We also obtain examples of pencils of curves of genus <14 whose monodromy group is the full Teichmüller group.
Let $R$ be a regular semilocal integral domain containing an infinite field $k$. Let $f\in R$ be an element such that for all maximal ideals $\mathfrak m$ of $R$ we have $f\notin\mathfrak m^2$. Let $\mathbf G$ be a reductive group scheme over $R$. Under an isotropy assumption on $\mathbf G$ we show that a $\mathbf G$-torsor over the localization $R_f$ is trivial, provided it is rationally trivial. We show that it is not true without the isotropy assumption. Finally, if $\mathbf G$ is a commutative group scheme of multiplicative type and the regular semilocal ring contains a field of characteri…
Let $X$ be a smooth projective geometrically connected curve over a finite field with function field $K$. Let $\G$ be a connected semisimple group scheme over $X$. Under certain hypothesis we prove the equality of two numbers associated with $\G$. The first is an arithmetic invariant, its Tamagawa number. The second, is a geometric invariant, the number of connected components of the moduli stack of $\G$-torsors on $X$.
We show some of the conjectures of Pappas and Rapoport concerning the moduli stack of $\mathcal{G}$-torsors on a curve C, where $\mathcal{G}$ is a semisimple Bruhat-Tits group scheme on C. In particular we prove the analog of the uniformization theorem of Drinfeld-Simpson in this setting. Furthermore we apply this to compute the connected components of these moduli stacks and to calculate the Picard group of the stack of torsors in case $\mathcal{G}$ is simply connected.
Let $X$ be an irreducible smooth projective algebraic curve of genus $g \geq 2$ over the ground field $\bc$ and let $G$ be a semisimple simply connected algebraic group. The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of semistable and stable parahoric torsors under a certain Bruhat-Tits group scheme $\mathcal G$ and construct the moduli space of semistable parahoric $\mathcal G$--torsors; we also identify the underlying topological space of this moduli space with certain spaces of homomorphisms of Fuchsian groups into a maximal compact subgroup of $G$. The results give a generalization of th…
The cohomological dimension of a field is the largest degree with non-vanishing Galois cohomology. Serre's "Conjecture II" predicts that for every perfect field of cohomological dimension $2$, every torsor over the field for a semisimple, simply connected algebraic group is trivial. A field is perfect and "pseudo algebraically closed" (PAC) if every geometrically irreducible curve over the field has a rational point. These have cohomological dimension $1$. Every transcendence degree $1$ extension of such a field has cohomological degree $2$. We prove Serre's "Conjecture II" for such fields of …
Let k be a field of characteristic 0. Let G be a reductive group over the ring of Laurent polynomials R=k[x_1^{\pm 1},...,x_n^{\pm 1}]. We prove that G has isotropic rank >=1 over R iff it has isotropic rank >=1 over the field of fractions k(x_1,...,x_n) of R, and if this is the case, then the natural map H^1_{et}(R,G)\to H^1_{\et}(k(x_1,...,x_n),G) has trivial kernel, and G is loop reductive, i.e. contains a maximal R-torus. In particular, we settle in positive the conjecture of V. Chernousov, P. Gille, and A. Pianzola that H^1_{Zar}(R,G)=* for such groups G. We also deduce that if G is a red…
In his proof of the fundamental lemma, Ngô established the product formula for the Hitchin fibration over the anisotropic locus. One expects this formula over the larger generically regular semisimple locus, and we confirm this by deducing the relevant vanishing statement for torsors over loop groups $R((t))$ from a general formula for $\mathrm{Pic}(R((t)))$. In the build up to the product formula, we present general algebraization, approximation, and invariance under Henselian pairs results for torsors, give short new proofs for the Elkik approximation theorem and the Chevalley isomorphism $\…
The aim of this paper is to give verifiable criteria for the existence of {\em irreducible} homomorphisms of $π_{1}(\mathbb P^1 - \mathcal R)$ into compact semisimple groups, for a finite subset $\mathcal R$ such that the conjugacy classes of the images of lassos around the marked points are fixed. By a theorem in \cite{bs}, this question reduces into one of giving verifiable criteria for the existence of stable $\mathcal G$-torsors on $\mathbb{P}^1_{\mathbb{C}}$, where $\mathcal{G} \to \mathbb{P}^1_\mathbb{C}$ is a a Bruhat-Tits group scheme.
Let G be a reductive affine group scheme defined over a semilocal ring k. Assume that either G is semisimple or k is normal and noetherian. We show that G has a finite k-subgroup S such that the natural map H^1(R, S) --> H^1(R, G) is surjective for every semilocal ring R containing k. In other words, G-torsors over Spec(R) admit reduction of structure to S. We also show that the natural map H^1(X, S) --> H^1(X, G) is surjective in several other contexts, under suitable assumptions on the base ring k, the scheme X/k and the group scheme G/k. These results have already been used to study loop al…
In this paper we consider certain closed subvarieties of the flag variety, known as Hessenberg varieties. We give a connectedness criterion for semisimple Hessenberg varieties generalizing a criterion given by Anderson and Tymoczko. We show that nilpotent Hessenberg varieties are rationally connected.
Let G be a split semisimple linear algebraic group over a field k0. Let E be a G-torsor over a field extension k of k0. Let h be an algebraic oriented cohomology theory in the sense of Levine-Morel. Consider a twisted form E/B of the variety of Borel subgroups G/B over k. Following the Kostant-Kumar results on equivariant cohomology of flag varieties we establish an isomorphism between the Grothendieck groups of the h-motivic subcategory generated by E/B and the category of finitely generated projective modules of certain Hecke-type algebra H which depends on the root datum of G, on the torsor…
A linear algebraic group G defined over a field k is called special if every G-torsor over every field extension of k is trivial. In 1958 Grothendieck classified special groups in the case where the base field is algebraically closed. In this paper we describe the derived subgroup and the coradical of a special reductive group over an arbitrary field k. We also classify special semisimple groups, special reductive groups of inner type and special quasisplit reductive groups over an arbitrary field k.
Let $G$ be an affine group over a field of characteristic not two. A $G$-torsor is called isotropic if it admits reduction of structure to a proper parabolic subgroup of $G$. This definition generalizes isotropy of affine groups and involutions of central simple algebras. When does $G$ admit anisotropic torsors? Building on work of J. Tits, we answer this question for simple groups. We also give an answer for connected and semisimple $G$ under certain restrictions on its root system.
Let X be a normal projective variety admitting an action of a semisimple group with a unique closed orbit. We construct finitely many rational curves in X, all having a common point, such that every effective one-cycle on X is rationally equivalent to a unique linear combination of these curves with non-negative rational coefficients. When X is nonsingular, these curves are projective lines, and they generate the integral Chow group of one-cycles.
For a reductive group scheme $G$ over a semilocal Dedekind ring $R$ with total ring of fractions $K$, we prove that no nontrivial $G$-torsor trivializes over $K$. This generalizes a result of Nisnevich-Tits, who settled the case when $R$ is local. Their result, in turn, is a special case of a conjecture of Grothendieck-Serre that predicts the same over any regular local ring. With a patching technique and weak approximation in the style of Harder, we reduce to the case when $R$ is a complete discrete valuation ring. Afterwards, we consider Levi subgroups to reduce to the case when $G$ is semis…
Let R be a semi-local regular ring containing an infinite perfect field, and let K be the field of fractions of R. Let H be a simple algebraic group of type F_4 over R such that H_K is the automorphism group of a 27-dimensional Jordan algebra which is a first Tits construction. If char K is not 2, this means precisely that the f_3 invariant of H_K is trivial. We prove that if an H-torsor is rationally trivial, then it is trivial over R. This result is a particular case of the Grothendieck-Serre conjecture. It continues the recent series of papers by I. Panin, N.Vavilov and the authors, and com…
The Poincaré polynomial of a Weyl group calculates the Betti numbers of the projective homogeneous space $G/B$, while the $h$-vector of a simple polytope calculates the Betti numbers of the corresponding rationally smooth toric variety. There is a common generalization of these two extremes called the $H$-polynomial. It applies to projective, homogeneous spaces, toric varieties and, much more generally, to any algebraic variety $X$ where there is a connected, solvable, algebraic group acting with a finite number of orbits. We illustrate this situation by describing the $H$-polynomials of certa…
For a homogeneous space X (not necessarily principal) of a connected algebraic group G (not necessarily linear) over a number field k, we prove a theorem of strong approximation for the adelic points of X in the Brauer-Manin set. Namely, for an adelic point x of X orthogonal to a certain subgroup (which may contain transcendental elements) of the Brauer group Br(X) of X with respect to the Manin pairing, we prove a strong approximation property for x away from a finite set S of places of k. Our result extends a result of Harari for torsors of semiabelian varieties and a result of Colliot-Thélè…
Let $K$ be the function field of a $p$-adic curve, $G$ a semisimple simply connected group over $K$ and $X$ a $G$-torsor over $K$. A conjecture of Colliot-Thélène, Parimala and Suresh predicts that if for every discrete valuation $v$ of $K$, $X$ has a point over the completion $K_v$, then $X$ has a $K$-rational point. The main result of this paper is the proof of this conjecture for groups of some classical types. In particular, we prove the conjecture when $G$ is of one of the following types: (1) ${}^2A_n^*$, i.e. $G=\mathbf{SU}(h)$ is the special unitary group of some hermitian form $h$ ove…
