Direct images of bundles under Frobenius morphism (Q938288)

Let \(X\) be a smooth projective curve over an algebraically closed field \(k\) of positive characteristic \(p\) and let \(F: X\to X_1\) the relative Frobenius map. In [Comment. Math. Helv. 83, No. 1, 179--209 (2008; Zbl 1157.14017)], \textit{C. Pauly} and the reviewer showed that for any line bundle \(L\) on \(X\) the direct image \(F_*L\) is a stable vector bundle. The present paper generalizes this and proves that for any stable vector bundle \(W\) on \(X\) the direct image \(F_*W\) is also stable. This is a consequence of an even more general result which can be stated as follows: Let \(X\) be a smooth projective variety of dimension \(n\) over \(k\) and fix an ample divisor \(H\) on \(X\). The instability of a vector bundle \(W\) on \(X\) is defined to be the maximal difference of slopes of the Harder-Narasimhan filtration of \(W\) with respect to \(H\). Then the instability of \(F_*W\) is bounded by the instability of \(W\otimes T^\ell(\Omega^1_X)\) for \(0\leq \ell\leq n(p-1)\) with an explicit inequality.