Galois descent and cohomology for algebraic groups (Q1814592)

Fix a prime \(p\). Let \(F\) denote the algebraic closure of the prime field of characteristic \(p\) and let \(k\) be any arbitrary subfield of \(F\). Let \(\ell\) denote a prime not equal to \(p\). Let \(L\) be the subfield of \(F\) generated by all the \(\ell\)-power roots of unity over the prime field. Let \(G_ \mathbb{Z}\) be a \(\mathbb{Z}\)-group scheme which is connected, reductive and \(\mathbb{Z}\)-split. The authors show that the cohomology of \(G(k)\) --- the group of k-rational points --- with coefficients in the prime field with \(\ell\) elements depends only on the image of the representation of Gal\((k)\) in Aut\((F)\). For example, the mod-\(\ell\) cohomology algebra of \(G(L)\) is isomorphic to that of the classifying space of the complex Lie group \(G(\mathbb{C})\). Other results of a similar nature are derived by considerations of ``\(\ell\)-primary Galois descent''.