From Lie algebras of vector fields to algebraic group action (Q1811261)

Let \(K\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. Let \(G\) be an affine algebraic \(K\)-group which acts on an algebraic variety \(V\) also defined over \(K\).\ It is well known that such an action induces a representation of the Lie algebra \(L(G) \) by derivations on the sheaf of regular functions on \(V\). The purpose of this paper is to study the reverse problem: given a finite-dimensional Lie algebra \(L\) and a (Lie algebra) homomorphism \(\rho :L\to \text{Der}_{K}(K[ U]) \) where \(U\) is an affine algebraic variety, does this representation arise from an algebraic group action on \(U\) or on some variety \(V\) containing \(U\) as an open subset? Two results of this so-called ``integration problem'' are proved here. For the first, it is shown that if \(L\) acts faithfully and locally finitely on \(K [ U] \) then \(L\) can be embedded in \(L(G) \) where \(G\) is some affine algebraic group which acts on \(U\). Furthermore, this can be done in such a way that the representation of \(L(G) \) corresponding to this action restricts to \(\rho \) on \(L.\) This group \(G\) can be described via certain intersections of closed subgroups of \(L\) restricted to an \(L\)-invariant subspace of \(K[ U] .\) Secondly, if it is already known that \(L=L(G) \) for some connected affine algebraic group \(G\), then, under certain circumstances involving the exponential map, there is an algebraic variety \(V\) containing \( U\) as a dense open subset and an action \(G\times V\to V\). If we insist that \(V\setminus U\) contains no \(G\)-orbit, then this choice of \(V\) is unique (up to equivalence). As a consequence of this result, if \(L\) is any nilpotent Lie algebra (not necessarily \(L=L(G) \) for some \(G\)) and \(U\) is an irreducible affine algebraic variety, and there is a \(\rho :L\to \text{Der}_{K}(K[ U]) ,\) then again under certain conditions given by the exponential map we have the existence of a \(G\) and an open dense subset \(V\) of \(U\) such that \(G\) acts on \(V\). A similar result occurs if \(L\) is a semisimple Lie algebra. The paper concludes with some ideas for extending the results presented here.