Jet schemes and invariant theory (Q5962651)

For an irreducible scheme \(X\) of finite type over an algebraically closed field \(k\), one can describe a sequence of \textit{jet schemes} \(X_m\) for \(m \geq 0\). Here \(X=X_0\), \(X_1\) is the total tangent space of \(X\), and in general the higher jet schemes are determined by their points: for any \(k\)-algebra \(A\) we have \(\mathrm{Hom}(\mathrm{Spec}(A),X_m)\simeq\mathrm{Hom}(\mathrm{Spec}(A[t]/\langle t^{m+1}\rangle),X)\). When \(G\) is a complex reductive group and \(V\) is a \(G\)-module, the jet scheme \(G_m\) is also an algebraic group which is a unipotent extension of \(G\), and \(G_m\) acts on \(V_m\). We have the categorical quotient \(V/\!/G\) and we can form the jet schemes \((V/\!/G)_m\). Since \(G_m\) is no longer reductive, one cannot necessarily expect the categorical quotient of \(V_m\) by \(G_m\) to exist, but one does still have a homomorphism \(p_m^\ast:\mathcal O((V/\!/G)_m))\to\mathcal O(V_m)^{G_m}\). The aim of the authors is to study this homomorphism and to ascertain when it is an isomorphism, or surjective, or neither. Using Luna's Slice Theorem, they show that these conditions are \textit{local} (i.e., pass up from and down to open covers). They give a technical theorem to guarantee that \(p_m^\ast\) is an isomorphism, and show that this condition holds in some natural cases, such as for certain direct sums of the natural module and its dual for classical groups. The authors also study the inverse limit \(X_\infty\) (the \textit{arc space}) and the associated map \(p_\infty^\ast\). When \(G\) is the multiplicative group, they classify all cases where \(p_\infty^\ast\) is surjective, and show that it is an isomorphism whenever it is surjective. They also give some examples for \(G=\mathrm{SL}_n\).