All Questions
2,027 questions
38
votes
1
answer
2k
views
When do 27 lines lie on a cubic surface?
Consider $27$ (pairwise distinct!) lines in $\mathbb{P}^3$ whose intersection graph is that expected¹ of the $27$ lines on a smooth cubic surface. Question: Is there a simple necessary and sufficient ...
- 32.5k
38
votes
7
answers
7k
views
What is DAG and what has it to do with the ideas of Voevodsky?
In Toen's and Vezzosi's article From HAG to DAG: derived moduli stacks a kind of definition of DAG is given. I am not an expert and can't see what's the relation between DAG and the motivic cohomology ...
- 1,085
38
votes
18
answers
24k
views
Learning about Lie groups
Can someone suggest a good book for teaching myself about Lie groups? I study algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, and I like lots of examples. Thanks.
37
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Conjectures in Grothendieck's "Pursuing stacks"
I read on the nLab that in "Pursuing stacks" Grothendieck made several interesting conjectures, some of which have been proved since then. For example, as David Roberts wrote in answer to ...
- 5,901
37
votes
4
answers
5k
views
In what sense is the étale topology equivalent to the Euclidean topology?
I have heard it said more than once—on Wikipedia, for example—that the étale topology on the category of, say, smooth varieties over $\mathbb{C}$, is equivalent to the Euclidean topology. I have not ...
- 740
36
votes
3
answers
2k
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Are large powers of polynomials linearly independent?
Let $P_1,\dots,P_k$ be polynomials over $\mathbf{C}$, no two of them being proportional.
Does there exist an integer $N$ such that $P_1^N,\dots,P_k^N$ are linearly independent?
- 4,653
36
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Special values of L-functions as periods
If $M$ is a pure motive over $\mathbb{Q}$, one cas define its $L$-function $L(M,s)$ which conjecturaly is a meromorphic function over $\mathbb{C}$ with finitely many poles.
For example, when $M=\...
- 26.1k
36
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Computing fundamental groups and singular cohomology of projective varieties
Are there any general methods for computing fundamental group or singular cohomology (including the ring structure, hopefully) of a projective variety (over C of course), if given the equations ...
- 21k
35
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Finding the octonionic analog of the K3 surface, via (almost) hyperkahler geometry?
The K3 manifold is an amazing object in mathematics which plays an important role in several fields ranging from the study of smooth 4-manifolds to algebraic geometry to differential geometry and ...
- 27.5k
35
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Durov approach to Arakelov geometry and $\mathbb{F}_1$
Durov's thesis on algebraic geometry over generalized rings looks extremely intriguing: it promises to unify scheme based and Arakelov geometry, even in singular cases, as well as including geometry ...
- 14.7k
35
votes
4
answers
8k
views
What would a "moral" proof of the Weil Conjectures require?
At the very end of this 2006 interview (rm), Kontsevich says
"...many great theorems are originally proven but I think the proofs are not, kind of, "morally right." There should be better proofs......
- 1,764
35
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is it consistent with ZF that $V \to V^{\ast \ast}$ is always an isomorphism?
Let $k$ be a field and $V$ a $k$-vector space. Then there is a map $V \to V^{\ast \ast}$, where $V^{\ast}$ is the dual vector space. If we are in ZFC and $\dim V$ is infinite, then this map is not ...
- 156k
34
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Derived Algebraic Geometry and Chow Rings/Chow Motives
I recently heard a talk about Chow motives and also read Milne's exposition on motives. If I understand it correctly, the naive definition of the Chow ring would be that it simply consists of all ...
- 12.1k
34
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Theme of Isbell duality
Let $C$ be a small category. Isbell duality provides an adjunction $\widehat{C} {{\mathcal{O} \atop \longrightarrow} \atop {\longleftarrow \atop \mathrm{Spec}}}\widehat{C^{\mathrm{op}}}^{\mathrm{op}}$....
- 63.1k
33
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Coefficients of Weil Cohomology Theories
A Weil Cohomology theory is a functor from the category of smooth projective varieties (over some fixed field $k$) to graded $K$-algebras (for some fixed field $K$) satisfying various axioms. For ...
- 331
33
votes
1
answer
4k
views
On a schoolchild puzzle of V.I. Arnold (re: toric varieties)
When reading the interview with Vladimir Arnold in the April 1997 edition of the Notices, I came across the following anecdote.
Many Russian families have the
tradition of giving hundreds of such
...
- 1,695
33
votes
20
answers
5k
views
Do names given to math concepts have a role in common mistakes by students?
Perhaps this question overlaps with similar ones, ... but I want to focus on a particular possible cause of confusion. I notice that students are often confused by the concepts of "infinite" and "...
32
votes
6
answers
9k
views
What is the universal property of normalization?
What is the universal property of normalization? I'm looking for an answer something like
If X is a scheme and Y→X is its
normalization, then the morphism
Y→X has property P and any ...
- 24.1k
32
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Wanted: example of a non-algebraic singularity
Given a finitely generated $\def\CC{\mathbb C}\CC$-algebra $R$ and a $\CC$-point (maximal ideal) $p\in Spec(R)$, I define the singularity type of $p\in Spec(R)$ to be the isomorphism class of the ...
- 24.1k
32
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Spectrum of the Grothendieck ring of varieties
Here's a problem that may ultimately require just simple algebraic-geometry skills to be solved, or perhaps it's very deep and will never be solved at all. From the comments, some literature and my ...
- 15.1k
32
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Do there exist modern expositions of Klein's Icosahedron?
Reading Serre's letter to Gray
, I wonder if now modern expositions of the themes in Klein's book
exist. Do you know any?
- 10.8k
32
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Clifford algebras as deformations of exterior algebras
$\def\Cl{\mathcal C\ell}
\def\CL{\boldsymbol{\mathscr{C\kern-.1eml}}(\mathbb R)}$
I'm not an expert in neither of the fields I'm touching, so don't be too rude with me :-) here's my question.
A well ...
- 13.6k
31
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Verlinde's formula
"Verlinde's formula" predicts the dimension of the space of conformal blocks of a chiral CFT.
Depending on...
• which chiral CFT one considers (does one restrict to WZW models, or not?)
&...
- 43.2k
31
votes
7
answers
10k
views
Quotients of Schemes by Free Group Actions
I've often seen people in seminars justify the existence of a quotient of a scheme by an algebraic group by remarking that the group action is free. However, I'm pretty sure they are also invoking ...
- 5,548
31
votes
2
answers
1k
views
The Sylvester-Gallai theorem over $p$-adic fields
The famous Sylvester-Gallai theorem states that for any finite set $X$ of points in the plane $\mathbf{R}^2$, not all on a line, there is a line passing through exactly two points of $X$.
What ...
- 20.8k
31
votes
1
answer
4k
views
For which varieties is the natural map from the Chow ring to integral cohomology an isomorphism?
My apologies if this question is too naive.
Let $X$ be a smooth projective complex variety. There is a natural map $A^{\bullet}(X) \to H^{2\bullet}(X)$ of graded rings from the Chow ring of $X$ to ...
- 118k
30
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Algebraic (semi-) Riemannian geometry ?
I hope these are not to vague questions for MO.
Is there an analog of the concept of a Riemannian metric, in algebraic geometry?
Of course, transporting things literally from the differential ...
- 23.4k
30
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Why are finiteness conditions important (and how to recognize them)?
I think everybody here has met lots of finiteness conditions, like those requiring a vector space to be finite dimensional, an abelian group to be finitely generated, a ring to be Noetherian, a ...
30
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Applications of microlocal analysis?
What examples are there of striking applications of the ideas of microlocal analysis?
Ideally I'm looking for specific results in any of the relevant fields (PDE, algebraic/differential geometry/...
- 7,799
29
votes
5
answers
9k
views
Local complete intersections which are not complete intersections
The following definitions are standard:
An affine variety $V$ in $A^n$ is a complete intersection (c.i.) if its vanishing ideal can be generated by ($n - \dim V$) polynomials in $k[X_1,\ldots, X_n]$. ...
- 303
29
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is there a higher Grothendieck ring of varieties?
Fix a field $k$. The Grothendieck ring $K_0(\mathrm{Var}_k)$ of varieties over $k$ is defined as the quotient of the free abelian group on isomorphism classes of algebraic varieties by the scissor ...
- 293
29
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Have Grothendieck's notes in Montpellier already been investigated?
Grothendieck, who passed away on November 13, 2014, left a huge amount (around 20.000 sheets) of personal notes in the University of Montpellier that he thought he was the only one to be able to ...
- 6,982
29
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Concrete example of $\infty$-categories
I've seen many different notions of $\infty$-categories: actually I've seen the operadic-globular ones of Batanin and Leinster, and the opetopic, and eventually I'll see the simplicial ones too. ...
- 3,349
29
votes
3
answers
2k
views
$\zeta(n)$ as a mixed Tate motive
I am trying to understand why there exists, for each $n \geq 2$, a mixed Tate motive $M$ over $\mathbb{Q}$ such that
$M \in Ext^1_{MT(\mathbb{Q})}(\mathbb{Q}(0), \mathbb{Q}(n))$
and $\zeta(n)$, ...
- 291
29
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Elementary proof of Riemann-Roch for compact Riemann surfaces
I am supposed to give a talk about the Riemann-Roch theorem to a seminar of first and second year graduate students. I want to do Riemann-Roch for compact Riemann surfaces, but I am open to perhaps ...
user100272
28
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Varieties cut by quadrics
Is there a characterization of the class of varieties which can be described as an intersection of quadrics, apart from the taulogical one?
Lots of varieties arise in this way (my favorite examples ...
- 47.3k
28
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What is the precise relationship between pyknoticity and cohesiveness?
Pyknotic and condensed sets have been introduced recently as a convenient framework for working with topological rings/algebras/groups/modules/etc. Recently there has been much (justified) excitement ...
- 11.8k
27
votes
7
answers
4k
views
How do you see the genus of a curve, just looking at its function field?
Yuhao asked in the 20-questions seminar:
The genus of a curve is a birational invariant; the function field of a curve determines it up to birational equivelance.
How do you see the genus directly ...
- 1,059
27
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the τ-local rings for a subcanonical Grothendieck topology τ on the category of affine schemes of finite type over Spec(Z)? (specifically for τ=fppf)
Let $\tau$ be a subcanonical topology on the category of affine schemes of finite type over $Spec(\mathbf{Z})$. Call this site $(S,\tau)$ or just $S$, and call its associated topos $\mathcal{S}$. ...
- 19.6k
27
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Where's the best place for an algebraic geometer to learn some algebraic number theory?
There are lots of introductions to number theory out there, but typically they are streamlined to assume as little prerequisite knowledge as possible. I'm looking for a text which does the opposite -- ...
- 64k
27
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why is this not an algebraic space?
This question is related to the question Is an algebraic space group always a scheme? which I've just seen which was posted by Anton. His question is whether an algebraic space which is a group object ...
- 27.5k
27
votes
5
answers
7k
views
References for "modern" proof of Newlander-Nirenberg Theorem
Hi,
I'm starting to prepare a graduate topics course on Complex and Kahler manifolds for January 2011. I want to use this course as an excuse to teach the students some geometric analysis. In ...
27
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Nonabelian topological fundamental group of a conjugate variety
Let $X$ be a pointed algebraic variety over the field of complex numbers $\mathbb{C}$.
Let $\pi_1^{\rm top}(X)$ and $\pi_1^{\mathrm{\acute{e}t}}(X)$ denote the topological and the étale fundamental ...
- 14.2k
26
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Voevodsky's counterexample to the existence of a motivic t-structure
I have been trying to unravel some of the known relationships between various ideas on mixed motives. I find the literature quite hard to follow -"from experts, for experts".
Voevodsky in "...
- 982
26
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Variety acquiring rational point over any quadratic extension
Does there exist a variety $X$ over $\mathbb{Q}$ (or a number field) such that it has no rational points over $\mathbb{Q}$ but acquires points over any quadratic extension $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{d})$?
If ...
- 463
26
votes
3
answers
3k
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Crux of Dwork's proof of rationality of the zeta function?
As the question title suggests, what is the crux of Dwork's proof of the rationality of the zeta function? What is the intuition behind the proof, what are the key steps that the proof boils down to?
user97565
26
votes
1
answer
816
views
What are the points of simple algebraic groups over extensions of $\mathbb{F}_1$?
The "field with one element" $\mathbb{F}_1$ is, of course, a very speculative object. Nevertheless, some things about it seem to be generally agreed, even if the theory underpinning them is not; in ...
- 32.5k
25
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why it is difficult to define cohomology groups in Arakelov theory?
I have been puzzled by the following Faltings' remark in his paper Calculus on arithemetic surfaces (page 394) for a few months. He says:
If $D$ is a divisor on $X$, we would like to define a ...
- 6,259
25
votes
4
answers
6k
views
When is an irreducible scheme quasi-compact?
The standard examples of schemes that are not quasi-compact are either non-noetherian or have an infinite number of irreducible components. It is also easy to find non-separated irreducible examples. ...
- 5,039
25
votes
4
answers
4k
views
When are GIT quotients projective?
Some background on GIT
Suppose G is a reductive group acting on a scheme X. We often want to understand the quotient X/G. For example, X might be some parameter space (like the space of possible ...
- 24.1k