The centralizer of a nilpotent section
Abstract
Description
Let F be an algebraically closed field and let G be a semisimple F-algebraic group for which the characteristic of F is *very good*. If X in Lie(G) = Lie(G)(F) is a nilpotent element in the Lie algebra of G, and if C is the centralizer in G of X, we show that (i) the root datum of a Levi factor of C, and (ii) the component group C/C^o both depend only on the Bala-Carter label of X; i.e. both are independent of very good characteristic. The result in case (ii) depends on the known case when G is (simple and) of adjoint type.
The proofs are achieved by studying the centralizer C of a nilpotent section X in the Lie algebra of a suitable semisimple group scheme over a Noetherian, normal, local ring A. When the centralizer of X is equidimensional on Spec(A), a crucial result is that locally in the etale topology there is a smooth A-subgroup scheme L of CC such that L_t is a Levi factor of C_t for each t in Spec(A).
34 pages. To appear in Nagoya Math. J. Dedicated to Toshiaki Shoji, on the occasion of his 60th birthday
34 pages. To appear in Nagoya Math. J. Dedicated to Toshiaki Shoji, on the occasion of his 60th birthday