Geometric monodromy -- semisimplicity and maximality (Q2364596)

Let \(X\) be smooth separated connected scheme over an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p \geq 0\), let \(f: Y \to X\) be a smooth proper morphism and \(x\) a geometric point of \(X\). The authors prove the geometric variant with \(\mathbb{F}_\ell\)-coefficients of the Grothendieck-Serre semisimplicity conjecture: Theorem 1.1. For \(\ell \gg 0\) (depending on \(f\)), the action of \(\pi_1(X,x)\) on \(H^*(Y_x,\mathbb{F}_\ell)\) is semisimple. The analogous result with \(\mathbb{Q}_\ell\)-coefficients is a famous theorem of \textit{P. Deligne} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 52, 137--252 (1980; Zbl 0456.14014)]. They prove that Theorem 1.1 is equivalent to: Theorem 1.2. After replacing \(X\) by a connected etale cover and for \(\ell \gg 0\) (depending on \(f\)), the image of \(\pi_1(X,x)\) in the group of \(\mathbb{Q}_\ell\)-points of its Zariski closure in \(\mathrm{GL}(H^*(Y_x,\mathbb{Q}_\ell))\) is almost hyperspecial.