The structure of normal algebraic monoids. (Q2373425)

An algebraic monoid \(M\) is a monoid and an algebraic variety for which the product map is a morphism of algebraic varieties. An algebraic monoid is normal if it is so as an algebraic variety. A classical theorem of Chevalley asserts that any connected algebraic group \(G\) is an extension of an Abelian variety by a connected affine algebraic group \(G_{\text{aff}}\), that is, we have the following short exact sequence \(1\to G_{\text{aff}}\to G@>\alpha_G>>G/G_{\text{aff}}\to 0\). The authors obtain an analogous result for normal algebraic monoids, that is, any normal algebraic monoid is an extension of an Abelian variety by a normal affine algebraic monoid. Precisely, let \(M\) be an irreducible normal algebraic monoid with unit group \(G\). Then \(\alpha_G\colon G\to G/G_{\text{aff}}\) extends to a morphism of algebraic monoids \(\alpha_M\colon M\to G/G_{\text{aff}}\). Moreover, the morphism \(\alpha_M\) is affine, and its scheme-theoretic fibers are normal varieties; the fiber at \(1\) equals \(M_{\text{aff}}\), where \(G_{\text{aff}}\) is the (unique) normal affine algebraic subgroup of \(G\) such that \(G/G_{\text{aff}}\) is an Abelian variety, and \(M\) the Zariski closure of \(G_{\text{aff}}\) in \(M\), which is affine. This result extends (and builds on) Chevalley's structure theorem for algebraic groups, but also resolves a problem posed by \textit{D.~A.~Timashev} (after Theorem 27.3) in his online book ``Homogeneous spaces and equivariant embeddings'' [arXiv:math.AG/0602228]. The relative problems of classification and faithful representation of normal algebraic monoids are also studied.