Drinfeld shtukas and Langlands correspondence. (Q1608551)

In this outstanding paper, the author proves the famous Langlands conjecture for \(\text{GL}_r\) over global function fields. Let \(X\) be a smooth projective geometrically irreducible curve over a finite field \(\mathbb{F}_q\) and \(F\) its function field. Denote by \(G_F\) the Galois group of \(F\), \(| X| \) the set of closed points of \(X\), \(\mathbb{A}=\prod_{x\in| X| }F_x\) the ring of adèles, and \(O_{\mathbb{A}}\) the subring of integral adèles. Fix a prime number \(\ell\) not dividing \(q\). Firstly, for any integer \(r\geq1\) consider the set \(\mathcal{A}^r(F)\) of irreducible cuspidal representations \(\pi\) of \(\text{GL}_r(\mathbb{A})\) with central character \(\chi_{\pi}\) of finite order. Secondly, consider the set \(\mathcal{G}_{\ell}^r(F)\) of irreducible almost everywhere non-ramified \(\ell\)-adic representations of \(G_F\) of dimension \(r\) whose determinants are of finite order. Theorem. Let \(r\geq1\). (i)\(_r\) To any cuspidal automorphic representation \(\pi\in\mathcal{A}^r(F)\) one can associate a unique Galois representation \(\sigma_{\pi}\in \mathcal{G}_{\ell}^r(F)\) with the same ramification locus in \(| X| \) and such that Frobenius eigenvalues of \(\sigma_{\pi}\) coincide with Hecke eigenvalues \(z_1(\pi_x),\cdots,z_r(\pi_x)\) for any (non-ramified) place \(x\in| X| \). (ii)\(_r\) Reciprocally, to any Galois representation \(\sigma\in \mathcal{G}_{\ell}^r(F)\), one can associate a unique automorphic representation \(\pi_{\sigma}\in\mathcal{A}^r(F)\) whose Hecke eigenvalues coincide with Frobenius eigenvalues of \(\sigma\). The unicity follows from Chebotarev's density theorem and ``strong multiplicity one'' theorem of Piatetski-Shapiro. In addition, for \(r=1\) the theorem is equivalent to the reciprocity law of the class field theory. The first key point of Lafforgue's proof is an application of the ``Deligne recursive principle''. Fix a rank \(r\geq 2\) and suppose that assertion (i)\(_r\) is true for all ranks \(<r\). Then, combining functional equations for \(L\)-functions, Laumon's product formula and reciprocity theorems of Weil, Hecke and Piatetski-Shapiro, Lafforgue (following Deligne) shows that assertion (ii)\(_r\) is true for all ranks \(\leq r\). Thus, this argument reduces the proof to a construction of an appropriate map \(\mathcal{A}^r(F)\rightarrow\mathcal{G}_{\ell}^r(F)\), \(\pi\mapsto \sigma_{\pi}\). This map is constructed by a careful study of the cohomology of the moduli stack \(\text{Cht}_N^r\) of Drinfeld shtukas of rank \(r\) with (an appropriate) level structure \(N\). This stack is of relative dimension \(2r-2\) and smooth over \((X-N)\times(X-N)\). The Hecke algebra \(\mathcal{H}_N^r\) and two ``partial Frobenius'' morphisms, denoted \(\text{Frob}_{\infty}\) and \(\text{Frob}_0\), act on \(\text{Cht}_N^r\). The main difficulty is that connected components of \(\text{Cht}_N^r\) are not of finite type. Their \(\ell\)-adic cohomology are infinite-dimensional and the numbers of fixed points with respect to Hecke correspondences are also infinite. Choose an idèle \(a\in\mathbb{A}^{\times}\) of degree 1 and consider the quotient \(\text{Cht}_N^r/a^{\mathbb{Z}}\simeq \coprod_{1\leq d\leq r} \text{Cht}_N^{r,d}\). Here \(\text{Cht}_N^{r,d}\) denotes the moduli stack of shtukas of rank \(r\) and degree \(d\) with level structure \(N\). Now one has a new difficulty since there is no open substack of finite type in \(\text{Cht}_N^r\) stable by actions of \(\text{Frob}_{\infty}\), \(\text{Frob}_0\) and \(\mathcal{H}_N^r\). Nevertheless, Lafforgue had an ingenious idea to bound the canonical Harder-Narasimhan polygons \(p_{\text{HN}}^{}\) of shtukas by a fixed polygon \(p:[0,r]\rightarrow\mathbb{R}_+\). The corresponding stack \[ \text{Cht}_N^{r,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}/a^{\mathbb{Z}}\simeq \coprod_{1\leq d\leq r} \text{Cht}_N^{r,d,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p} \] is of finite type, and it is possible to calculate the number of fixed points. However, \(\text{Cht}_N^{r,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}\) is not stable with respect to Hecke correspondences. In order to recover the action of Hecke correspondences it is necessary to consider a compactified stack \(\overline{\text{Cht}_N^{r,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}}\). It is constructed as the moduli stack of ``iterated shtukas'' of rank \(r\) with level structure \(N\) etc. The next ingenious idea of Lafforgue is to consider iterated shtukas whose ``degenerators'' avoid \(N\). Then, remarkably, normalized Hecke correspondences stabilize the corresponding open substack \(\overline{\text{Cht}_N^{r,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}}'\). Finally, in a wonderful manner, Lafforgue subtracts the same essential part \(H_{N,\text{ess}}\) from \[ H_c^{2r-2} (\overline{\text{Cht}_N^{r, p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}}'/a^{\mathbb{Z}}), \quad H_c^{2r-2}( \text{Cht}_N^{r,p_{\text{HN}}^{}\leqslant p}/a^{\mathbb{Z}}) \] as well as from \(H_c^{2r-2} (\text{Cht}_N^r/a^{\mathbb{Z}})\). The decomposition of \(H_{N,\text{ess}}\) considered as a \((\mathcal{H}_N^r\times G_F)\)-bimodule permits him to construct \(\sigma_{\pi}\) and to prove the global Langlands conjecture. Obviously, only the biggest landmarks are mentioned here, while Lafforgue's paper contains a whole bunch of ingenious constructions, ideas and results.