Lie atoms and their deformations (Q2427040)

Many deformation-theoretic problems and results in algebraic and complex geometry can be formulated in terms of differential graded Lie algebras. These include the Kodaira-Spencer theory of deformations of complex structures. Nevertheless, there are fundamental deformation deformation problems in geometry for which no Lie theoretic formulation is known, e.g. deformation theory of submanifolds in a fixed ambient manifold, which is the local theory of the Hilbert scheme in algebraic geometry or the Douady space in complex-analytic geometry. A principal purpose of the present article is to remedy this situation. The author works with a generalization of Lie atoms; an object that is a pair of Lie algebras \(\mathfrak g,\mathfrak h^+\), a Lie homomorphism \(\mathfrak g\rightarrow\mathfrak h^+\), and a \(\mathfrak g\)-module \(\mathfrak h\subset\mathfrak h^+\). Geometrically, a Lie atom can be used to control situations where a geometric point is deformed while some aspects of the geometry stays constant (in some trivial manner). A typical application to the deformation theory of Lie atoms is the local theory of Hilbert schemes or Douady space of submanifolds of a space \(X\). The author points out that a Lie atom possesses some of the formal properties of Lie algebras. There is a deformation theory for Lie atoms that generalizes the case of Lie algebras and which in addition allows to treat some classical deformation problems. These include, on the one hand, the Hilbert scheme, and on the other hand heat-equation deformations. In this article the author present a systematic development of the deformation theory of Lie atoms, which are closely analogous to differential graded Lie algebras. The \textit{Jacobi-Bernoulli complex} is a comultiplicative complex whose zeroth cohomology, dualized, yield the \textit{deformation ring} of the atom. The proof of the vanishing of the square of the differential of this complex needs a discussion of Lie identities and Bernoulli number identities. Basic algebra on Lie atoms is developed, and the Kodaira-Spencer formalism is introduced. Finally the author constructs universal deformations under suitable hypothesis of finiteness and automorphism-paucity. The definition of Lie atoms and their deformations are explicitly given and easy to understand. The examples are important and interesting. The atomic deformation theory associated to a sheaf of Lie atoms is naturally enough harder to read, but even more interesting. The author deduces the deformation from geometric definitions rather than defining it formally by the Kodaira-Spencer class, then showing that the two points of view coincides.