Equivariant reduction to torus of a principal bundle (Q1826486)

Let \(M\) be an irreducible projective variety over an algebraically closed field \(k\) of characteristic 0 and let \(G\) be a connected reductive linear algebraic group over \(k\). Let \(E_G\) be an \(S\)-equivariant principal \(G\)-bundle over \(M\), where \(S\) is a connected algebraic group over \(k\), i.e., \(S\) acts on both \(M\) and \(E_G\) and the projection map is \(S\)-equivariant. Suppose that there exists a reduction of the structure group to a maximal torus \(T\) of \(G\). The main result of this paper provides a necessary and sufficient condition for the \(T\)-reduction of \(E_G\) to be left invariant under the action of \(S\) on \(E_G\), i.e., for the existence of an \(S\)-equivariant reduction. Namely, the reduction of the structure group to \(T\) is \(S\)-equivariant if and only if the the induced action of \(S\) on \(\text{ Aut}^0(E_G)\) preserves a maximal torus in \(\text{ Aut}^0(E_G)\), where \(\text{ Aut}^0(E_G)\subset \text{ Aut}(E_G)\) is the connected component of the identity element in the group of all automorphisms of \(E_G\). As a consequence of the main result the authors show that if \(E_G\) admits an \(S\)-equivariant reduction of the structure group to \(T\), then the action of \(S\) on the Levi quotient of \(\text{ Aut}^0(E_G)\) factors through an action of a torus quotient of \(S\). Further, if the action of \(S\) on \(\text{ Aut}^0(E_G)\) factors through an action of a torus quotient of \(S\), then \(E_G\) admits an \(S\)-equivariant reduction of the structure group to \(T\). The inverse implications for these statements are false.