Geometric invariants of representations of finite groups (Q783209)

In this paper, the author gives geometric constructions associated to suitable representations of a finite group \(\tau\), working over a field \(k\) of characteristic \(p\). These are compared with analogous constructions for infinitesimal group schemes (see [\textit{E. M. Friedlander} and \textit{J. Pevtsova}, Duke Math. J. 139, No. 2, 317--368 (2007; Zbl 1128.20031)], for example): for \(\mathbb{G}\) a linear algebraic group, he compares the constructions for the finite group \(\tau = \mathbb{G} (\mathbb{F}_p)\) and for the \(r\)th Frobenius kernel \(\mathbb{G}_{(r)}\). The author's basic ingredient is the universal \(p\)-nilpotent operation \(\Theta_E \in S^\bullet (J_E^*) \otimes kE\), where \(kE\) is the group ring of the elementary abelian \(p\)-group \(E\) and \(S^\bullet (J_E^*)\) the symmetric algebra on the dual of the radical \(J_E \subset kE\). By naturality, for \(\tau\) a finite group, this gives \[ \Theta_\tau \in A_\tau \otimes k \tau \] by passing to the inverse limit over the poset \(\mathcal{E}(\tau)\) of sub elementary abelian \(p\)-groups of \(\tau\), with \(A_\tau := \lim_{\leftarrow, E\in \mathcal{E}(\tau)} S^\bullet (J_E^*)\). For \(M\) a finite-dimensional \(\tau\)-module, \(\Theta_\tau\) induces \(\Theta_{\tau,M} \in \mathrm{End} (A _\tau \otimes M)\); this is \(p\)-nilpotent. The author defines \(X_\tau\) to be \(\mathrm{Spec} (A_\tau)\) and, likewise, the closed subscheme \(X_\tau^{(2)}\) built using the algebras \(S^\bullet ((J_E^2)^*)\). The scheme \(Y_\tau\) is built using the algebras \(S^\bullet ((J_E/J_E^2)^*)\), so that there is a \(\tau\)-equivariant map \(X_\tau \rightarrow Y_\tau\) and a \(p\)-isogeny \textit{à la Quillen} \[ (Y_\tau) /\tau \rightarrow \mathrm{Spec} (H^\bullet (\tau ; k)). \] The author proves that, for \(M\) a finite-dimensional \(\tau\)-module of constant \(j\)-rank, the modules \(\ker (\Theta_{\tau, M}^j )\), for \(1 \leq j <p\), define \(\tau\)-equivariant vector bundles on \(X_\tau \backslash X_\tau^{(2)}\) (likewise for the image and cokernel of \(\Theta_{\tau, M}^j \)). There are projective versions of these results, replacing \(\mathrm{Spec} (H^\bullet (\tau ; k))\) by \(\mathrm{Proj} (H^\bullet (\tau ; k))\) etc. and considering \(\mathbb{P}\Theta_{\tau, M}\). For comparison with the cases arising from the linear algebraic group \(\mathbb{G}\), the author builds on work of [\textit{P. Sobaje}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 6, 2206--2217 (2015; Zbl 1360.20045)] and others providing good exponential maps. For \(\mathbb{G}\) of good exponential type, he exhibits a \(\mathbb{G}(\mathbb{F}_p)\)-equivariant isomorphism \(\mathcal{L} : Y_{\mathbb{G}(\mathbb{F}_p)} \rightarrow Y_\mathfrak{g}\), where \(Y_\mathfrak{g}\) is the variety associated to the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}\) of \(\mathbb{G}\), and hence the equivariant map \( \mathcal{L}_{(r)} : Y_{\mathbb{G}(\mathbb{F}_p)} \rightarrow V_r (\mathbb{G})\) corresponding to the \(r\)th Frobenius kernel \(\mathbb{G}(r)\). For \(M\) a finite-dimensional rational \(\mathbb{G}\)-module of exponential degree \(< p^r\), the author uses \( \mathcal{L}_{(r)}\) to compare the vector bundles associated to \(\mathbb{G}(\mathbb{F}_p)\) and \(\mathbb{G}(r)\) respectively. He shows that they give the same class in Weibel's homotopy-invariant \(K\)-theory by relating the vector bundles by an \(\mathbb{A}^1\)-homotopy. The author concludes by extending the constructions to the case of group schemes of the form \(G \rtimes \tau\), where \(G\) is an infinitesimal group scheme and \(\tau\) a finite group.