Moduli of Galois \(p\)-covers in mixed characteristics (Q442455): Difference between revisions

The present article is concerned with the reduction behavior of the moduli of Galois \(p\)-cyclic covers of curves at the prime \(p\). To this end the authors construct a proper Deligne-Mumford stack which contains the objects of interest. Let \(g,h,n\geq 0\) be integers such that \(2g-2+n> 0\). For a base scheme \(S\), a \textit{stable \(n\)-marked \(p\)-torsor of genus \(g\) on \(S\)} is a triple \(\left(\mathcal{X},\mathcal{G}, Y\right)\), with \(\mathcal{X}\) an \(n\)-marked twisted \(S\)-curve of genus \(h\) in the sense of [\textit{D.~Abramovich} and \textit{A.~Vistoli}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 15, No. 1, 27--75 (2002; Zbl 0991.14007)], \(Y\) a nodal stable \(n\)-marked \(S\)-curve of genus \(g\) with a map \(Y\rightarrow \mathcal{X}\), and \(\mathcal{G}\) a rigidified \(\mathcal{X}\)-group scheme of order \(p\), such that \(Y\rightarrow \mathcal{X}\) is a \(\mathcal{G}\)-torsor. For varying \(S\), these objects fit into a category \({ST}_{p,g,h,n}\), which is fibered over the category of schemes, and the main theorem of the article under review is that this fibered category is in fact a proper Deligne-Mumford stack with finite diagonal. The stack \(ST_{p,g,h,n}\) contains an open substack parametrizing étale \(\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}\)-covers. The article contains two interesing appendices: In the first it is proved that a finite locally free \(S\)-group scheme \(G\) of order \(p\) equipped with a cogenerator can be embedded in an affine, smooth, \(1\)-dimensional \(S\)-group scheme. The second is concerned with Weil restriction of closed subschemes; it is proved that if \(h:X\rightarrow S\) is a flat and pure morphism of finite presentation, and \(Z\rightarrow X\) a closed immersion, then the Weil restriction \(h_*Z\) of \(Z\) is representable by a closed subscheme of \(S\). This theorem generalizes previous representability results by using the notion of purity from [\textit{M.~Raynaud} and \textit{L.~Gruson}, Invent.~Math.~13, 1--89 (1971; Zbl 0227.14010)].