\(\mathbb F_1\)-schemes and toric varieties (Q945965)

This very readable article is a collection of results on \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes, the principle ones being definitions of flat, unramified and étale morphisms; and (Theorem 4.1) that integral \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes of finite type are essentially the same as toric varieties. No previous knowledge of \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes is needed by the reader. The idea of the ``field of one element'' \({\mathbb F}_1\) has been discussed since [\textit{J.~Tits}, Centre Belge Rech. math., Colloque d'Algébre supérieure, Bruxelles du 19 au 22 déc. 1956, 261--289 (1957; Zbl 0084.15902)] noted some properties that such an object would have, in the context of Chevalley groups. Various approaches have been taken to defining \({\mathbb F}_1\) and schemes over it; see \textit{C.~Soulé} [Mosc.\ Math.\ J., 4, 217--244 (2004; Zbl 1103.14003)] and \textit{N.~Durov} [New approach to Arakelov geometry. \url{arXiv:0704.2030} (2007)]. In the author's previous article [in: Number fields and function fields -- two parallel worlds. Boston, MA: Birkhäuser. Progress in Mathematics 239, 87--100 (2005; Zbl 1098.14003)], he showed how one can define the category of schemes over \({\mathbb F}_1\) by replacing the rings occurring in the classical definition with monoids. The resulting schemes satisfy expected properties with respect to Chevalley groups and zeta functions. This article begins with a short but clear account of the definition of the category of \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes, as in [loc. cit.]. In Section~1, a notion of flatness of modules over monoids is defined, and hence flatness of morphisms of \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes. Algebraic extensions of monoids are defined in Section~2, and so unramified morphisms in Section~3; this leads to the definition of an étale morphism of \({\mathbb F}_1\)-schemes. It is shown that the corresponding notion of simply connected holds in some important cases, notably that of \({\mathbb P}^1\) over the algebraic closure of \({\mathbb F}_1\). Section~4 deals with toric varieties. Every toric variety is the lift of an \({\mathbb F}_1\)-scheme; Theorem~4.1 gives a result in the converse direction: ``Let \(X\) be a connected integral \({\mathbb F}_1\)-scheme of finite type. Then every irreducible component of \(X_{\mathbb C}\) is a toric variety. The components of \(X_{\mathbb C}\) are mutually isomorphic as toric varieties.'' Proposition~4.3 then describes explicitly the zeta function of such an \({\mathbb F}_1\)-scheme. Section~5 gives a lemma concerning valuations on monoids; Section~6 gives an example, attributed to Gabber, showing that cohomology is not defined over \({\mathbb F}_1\) .