Topological flatness of local models for ramified unitary groups. I: The odd dimensional case (Q626107)

The paper is about local models for Shimura varieties. These are defined over number fields and often parametrize Abelian varieties with some level structure. If the level is prime to \(p\) the variety usually has a smooth model over the \(p\)-adics, and for other levels little is known in general. In between is the case of tame level \(p\)-structures where sometimes local models can be defined and studied. The classical example is the work of Deligne-Rapoport for elliptic curves. The paper under review studies the case of unitary groups for a ramified quadratic extension, and \(p\) odd. Two types of local models have been defined by Pappas and Rapoport. It is not known whether they are flat but the present paper shows that one of them is ``topologically flat'' (a weaker condition). The proof uses a description of the special fibre via Schubert cells in affine Grassmannians.