A criterion for the splitting of a principal bundle over a projective space (Q1764938): Difference between revisions

Let \(G\) be a connected reductive linear algebraic group defined over \(\mathbb{C}\). Let \(E_G\) be an algebraic principal \(G\)-bundle over \({\mathbb{P}}^n\). The \(G\)-bundle \(E_G\) is called split if it admits an algebraic reduction of structure group to a maximal torus of \(G\). The \(G\)-bundle \(E_G\) is said to admit a reduction of structure group to a one-parameter subgroup of \(G\) if there is a pair \((\rho,E_{\mathbb{G}_m})\) where \(\rho:{\mathbb{G}_m} \to G\) is a homomorphism from the multiplicative group \({\mathbb{G}_m}={\mathbb{C}}^*\) and \(E_{\mathbb{G}_m}\) is an algebraic principal \({\mathbb{G}_m}\)-bundle over \(\mathbb{P}^n\), such that \(E_G\) is isomorphic to the principal \(G\)-bundle obtained by extending the structure group of the principal \({\mathbb{G}_m}\)-bundle \(E_{\mathbb{G}_m}\) using \(\rho\). Denote by \(\text{ad}(E_G)\) the adjoint bundle of \(E_G\). The author shows the following Theorem. Let \(E_G\) be a principal \(G\)-bundle over \(\mathbb{P}^n\), where \(n\geq 2\). The \(G\)-bundle \(E_G\) admits a reduction of structure group to a one-parameter subgroup of \(G\) if and only if the following holds: \[ h^1(\mathbb{P}^n,\text{ad}(E_G) \otimes {\mathcal O}(-k))=0 \] for all \(k\geq 1\). In particular \(E_G\) splits if the above cohomological condition holds. Consider now the case when \(G=\text{GL}(r,\mathbb{C})\). Let \(E\) be a vector bundle of rank \(r\) and \(E_{\text{GL}}\) the corresponding principal \(\text{GL}(r,\mathbb{C})\)-bundle. Since \(\text{ad}(E_{\text{GL}})=\text{End}(E)\), a splitting of \(E\) into a direct sum of line bundles is equivalent to a reduction of structure group of \(E_{\text{GL}}\) to a maximal torus of \(\text{GL}(r,\mathbb{C})\). Hence, when \(G=\text{GL}(r,\mathbb{C})\), the author recovers the splitting criterion of \textit{G. R. Kempf} [Forum Math. 2, No. 5, 477--480 (1990; Zbl 0715.14004)] which reads as follows: Let \(E\) be an algebraic vector bundle over \(\mathbb{P}^n\), \(n\geq 2\). Then \(E\) decomposes as a direct sum of line bundles if and only if the following conditions hold: (i) the bundle \(E\) extends to \(\mathbb{P}^{n+1}\) (ii) \(h^1(\mathbb{P}^n,\text{End}(E)(-k))=0\) for all \(k \geq 1\). The theorem proved in the paper under review shows that the condition \((i)\) of Kempf's criterion is superfluous. This was already noticed for the rank \(2\) case by [\textit{H. S. Luk} and \textit{S. S.-T. Yau} [Math. Nachr. 161, 233--238 (1993; Zbl 0809.14013)].