Generic stabilisers for actions of reductive groups

Let \(G\) be a reductive linear algebraic group over an algebraically closed field \(k\) and \(V\) a quasi-projective \(G\) variety such that \(G\) permutes the irreducible components of \(V\) transitively. In the present paper the author studies the stabilizers under this action in arbitrary characterstic. Let \(V_0\) denote the set of points such that \(\dim(G_v)\) is minimal and let \(V_{\mathrm{red}} = \{ v \in V_0 \;| \;G_v \text{ is reductive }\}\). The first main result is that \(V_{\mathrm{red}}\) is an open subvariety of \(V\). Previous results by Richardson [\textit{R. W. Richardson}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 9, 38--41 (1977; Zbl 0355.14020)] required that generic orbits are closed and that \(V\) is affine. A subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) is called a principal stabilizer for the \(G\)-variety \(V\) if there is a non-empty open subset \(O\) of \(V\) such that \(G_v\) is conjugate to \(H\) for all \(v \in V\). Again by a result of Richardson [\textit{R. W. Richardson}, Invent. Math. 16, 6--14 (1972; Zbl 0242.14010)] principal stabilizers exist if \(\mathrm{char}(k) = 0\) and \(V\) is smooth and affine. The author shows via an example that even if generic stabilizers are connected and reductive, a principal stabilizer need not exist in characteristic \(p\). Therefore the author weakens the notion of principal stabilizer. Let \(H\) be a subgroup of \(G\). Then \(H\) is called \(G\)-completely reducible if whenever \(H\) is contained in a so-called \(R\)-parabolic subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) , there is an \(R\)-Levi subgroup \(L\) of \(P\) such that \(H\) is contained in \(L\). Assume now that \(P\) is a minimal \(R\)-parabolic subgroup containing \(M \leq G\) and let \(\pi_L: P \to L\) denote the canonical projection. Then \(\pi_L(M)\) does not depend on \(P\) and \(L\) up to \(G\)-conjugacy, and the conjugacy class \(G \cdot \pi_L(M)\) is denoted by \(\mathcal{D}(M)\). The second main result is that there exists a \(G\)-completely reducible subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) and a non-empty open subset \(O\) of \(V\) such that \(\mathcal{D}(G_v) = G \cdot H\) for all \(v \in O\). In particular the \(G_v\) are equal for generic \(v\). Under some additional conditions it can be shown that the subgroup \(H\) is even a principal stabilizer.

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