On abstract homomorphisms of Chevalley groups with nonreductive image. I (Q5945625)

Let \(G\) and \(G'\) be algebraic groups over (infinite) fields \(k\) and \(k'\), respectively. Let \(G(k)\) and \(G'(k')\) be the corresponding groups of rational points. The efforts in the study of abstract homomorphisms between \(G(k)\) and \(G'(k')\) are aimed at proving that under certain conditions, any group homomorphism \(\mu\colon G(k)\to G'(k')\) is of ``standard type''. For instance, \textit{A.~Borel} and \textit{J.~Tits} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 97, 499-571 (1973; Zbl 0272.14013)] showed that if \(G\) and \(G'\) are absolutely simple, \(G\) is \(k\)-isotropic, and \(\mu\) has a Zariski dense image, then any homomorphism \(\mu\) is (basically) standard. In this paper, the authors prove that if \(G\) is an absolutely simple simply connected split (in other words, Chevalley) group over a field \(k\) of characteristic zero, then any homomorphism of \(G(k)\) such that the Zariski closure of its image has a commutative unipotent radical can be obtained from the Borel-Tits construction. This result gives an explicit description of such homomorphisms. Moreover, the authors describe a generalization of the Borel-Tits construction so that one can construct abstract homomorphisms for which the unipotent radical of the Zariski closure of the image has arbitrarily large dimension and nilpotency class.