Skip to main content
2 of 3
corrected typos that referred to a scheme instead of the intended set of $F$-rational points; if OP is coming to algebraic groups from another field, he may not yet be fully comfortable with the distinction, so these seem important typos to correct

As hinted by S. Carnahan, this is a particular case of a general construction, known as Weil restriction, Greenberg functor, or arc space, depending on the context.

Let $X$ be a scheme of finite type over a field $k$. Then there is a scheme $\mathcal L(X)$, which is a projective limit of schemes $\mathcal L_m(X)$ of finite type over $k$, such that $\mathcal L(X)(F)=X(F[[t]])$ and $\mathcal L_m(X)(F)=X(F[[t]]/(t^m))$, for every $k$-algebra $F$.

Most of the construction is, in fact, relatively easy.

Begin with $X=\mathbf A^1$. Then, it suffices to take $\mathcal L_m(X)=\mathbf A^m$, the identification of $\mathcal L_m(X)(F)$ with $X(F[[t]]/(t^m))$ begin given by $(x_0,\dots,x_{m-1})\mapsto x_0+x_1t+\dots+x_{m-1}t^{m-1}$. Then $\mathcal L(X)=\mathbf A^\infty=\mathop{\mathrm {Spec}}(T_0,T_1,T_2,\dots)$.

This generalizes readily to $X=\mathbf A^n$ (take the $n$th power of the preceding schemes).

Now, if $X$ is a closed subscheme of $\mathbf A^n$, with ideal $I=(P,\dots)$, one can expand $P(x_0+x_1t+\dots+x_{m-1}t^{m-1})=P_0(x)+P_1(x)t+\dots+P_{m-1}(x)t^{m-1} \pmod {t^m}$ and $\mathcal L_m(X)$ is viewed as a closed subscheme of $\mathcal L_m(\mathbf A^n)$ by adding the equations $P_0=\dots=P_{m-1}=0$ for every polynomial $P\in I$ (or in a generating subset of $I$). In your particular case, where $X$ is an (affine) algebraic group, this is all you need.

If $U$ is an affine open subscheme of $X$, then $\mathcal L_m(U)$ identifies as an open affine subscheme of $\mathcal L_m(X)$. This will allow to define $\mathcal L_m(X)$ in general by gluing $\mathcal L_m(U)$, for affine open subschemes $U$ of $X$.

One then takes the limit $\mathcal L(X)=\varprojlim_m \mathcal L_m(X)$, which exists as a scheme, because the transition morphisms $\mathcal L_{m+1}(X)\to \mathcal L_m(X)$ are affine.

Finally, the formula $\mathcal L(X)(F)=X(F[[t]])$ is easy if $F$ is a field, or if $X$ is affine (this is all you need), and is relatively easy if $X$ is quasiprojective. The general case is due to B. Bhatt (private communication). His proof used techniques of derived algebraic geometry (a theorem of Lurie/Brandenburg-Chiravasitu) and existence of enough perfect complexes (Thomason-Trobaugh).

ACL
  • 12.9k
  • 60
  • 78