Every regular automorphism of the affine Cremona group is inner (Q5928479): Difference between revisions

The affine Cremona group \(GA_n(k)\) is the group of algebraic automorphisms of affine space \(k^n\) over a field \(k\). \(GA_n(k)\) carries the structure of an infinite-dimensional algebraic group. Only for \(n=2\) do we have a good understanding of this group. The paper under review studies regular automorphisms of \(GA_n(k)\), i.e., elements of Aut\((GA_n(k))\) which are morphisms of \(GA_n(k)\) as an (infinite-dimensional) algebraic variety. As the title indicates, the paper's main result (theorem 9) is that, in the case \(k\) is algebraically closed of characteristic 0, every regular automorphism of \(GA_n(k)\) is inner, that is, defined by conjugation with a fixed element. The author makes very nice use of the theorem of Białynicki-Birula, which asserts that every \(n\)-dimensional torus \(T_n\) contained in \(GA_n(k)\) as an algebraic subgroup can be conjugated to the standard torus in \(GL_n(k)\) [\textit{B. A. Białynicki-Birula}, Bull. Acad. Pol. Sci., Sér. Sci. Math. Astron. Phys. 14, 177-181 (1966; Zbl 0163.42901)].