Processing math: 100%

The Stacks project

35.25 Application of fpqc descent of properties of morphisms

The following lemma may seem a bit frivolous but turns out is a useful tool in studying étale and unramified morphisms.

Lemma 35.25.1. Let f : X \to Y be a flat, quasi-compact, surjective monomorphism. Then f is an isomorphism.

Proof. As f is a flat, quasi-compact, surjective morphism we see \{ X \to Y\} is an fpqc covering of Y. The diagonal \Delta : X \to X \times _ Y X is an isomorphism (Schemes, Lemma 26.23.2). This implies that the base change of f by f is an isomorphism. Hence we see f is an isomorphism by Lemma 35.23.17. \square

We can use this lemma to show the following important result; we also give a proof avoiding fpqc descent. We will discuss this and related results in more detail in Étale Morphisms, Section 41.14.

Lemma 35.25.2. A universally injective étale morphism is an open immersion.

First proof. Let f : X \to Y be an étale morphism which is universally injective. Then f is open (Morphisms, Lemma 29.36.13) hence we can replace Y by f(X) and we may assume that f is surjective. Then f is bijective and open hence a homeomorphism. Hence f is quasi-compact. Thus by Lemma 35.25.1 it suffices to show that f is a monomorphism. As X \to Y is étale the morphism \Delta _{X/Y} : X \to X \times _ Y X is an open immersion by Morphisms, Lemma 29.35.13 (and Morphisms, Lemma 29.36.16). As f is universally injective \Delta _{X/Y} is also surjective, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.10.2. Hence \Delta _{X/Y} is an isomorphism, i.e., X \to Y is a monomorphism. \square

Second proof. Let f : X \to Y be an étale morphism which is universally injective. Then f is open (Morphisms, Lemma 29.36.13) hence we can replace Y by f(X) and we may assume that f is surjective. Since the hypotheses remain satisfied after any base change, we conclude that f is a universal homeomorphism. Therefore f is integral, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.45.5. It follows that f is finite by Morphisms, Lemma 29.44.4. It follows that f is finite locally free by Morphisms, Lemma 29.48.2. To finish the proof, it suffices that f is finite locally free of degree 1 (a finite locally free morphism of degree 1 is an isomorphism). There is decomposition of Y into open and closed subschemes V_ d such that f^{-1}(V_ d) \to V_ d is finite locally free of degree d, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.48.5. If V_ d is not empty, we can pick a morphism \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(k) \to V_ d \subset Y where k is an algebraically closed field (just take the algebraic closure of the residue field of some point of V_ d). Then \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(k) \times _ Y X \to \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(k) is a disjoint union of copies of \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(k), by Morphisms, Lemma 29.36.7 and the fact that k is algebraically closed. However, since f is universally injective, there can only be one copy and hence d = 1 as desired. \square

We can reformulate the hypotheses in the lemma above a bit by using the following characterization of flat universally injective morphisms.

Lemma 35.25.3. Let f : X \to Y be a morphism of schemes. Let X^0 denote the set of generic points of irreducible components of X. If

  1. f is flat and separated,

  2. for \xi \in X^0 we have \kappa (f(\xi )) = \kappa (\xi ), and

  3. if \xi , \xi ' \in X^0, \xi \not= \xi ', then f(\xi ) \not= f(\xi '),

then f is universally injective.

Proof. We have to show that \Delta : X \to X \times _ Y X is surjective, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.10.2. As X \to Y is separated, the image of \Delta is closed. Thus if \Delta is not surjective, we can find a generic point \eta \in X \times _ S X of an irreducible component of X \times _ S X which is not in the image of \Delta . The projection \text{pr}_1 : X \times _ Y X \to X is flat as a base change of the flat morphism X \to Y, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.25.8. Hence generalizations lift along \text{pr}_1, see Morphisms, Lemma 29.25.9. We conclude that \xi = \text{pr}_1(\eta ) \in X^0. However, assumptions (2) and (3) guarantee that the scheme (X \times _ Y X)_{f(\xi )} has at most one point for every \xi \in X^0. In other words, we have \Delta (\xi ) = \eta a contradiction. \square

Thus we can reformulate Lemma 35.25.2 as follows.

Lemma 35.25.4. Let f : X \to Y be a morphism of schemes. Let X^0 denote the set of generic points of irreducible components of X. If

  1. f is étale and separated,

  2. for \xi \in X^0 we have \kappa (f(\xi )) = \kappa (\xi ), and

  3. if \xi , \xi ' \in X^0, \xi \not= \xi ', then f(\xi ) \not= f(\xi '),

then f is an open immersion.

Lemma 35.25.5. Let f : X \to Y be a morphism of schemes which is locally of finite type. Let Z be a closed subset of X. If there exists an fpqc covering \{ Y_ i \to Y\} such that the inverse image Z_ i \subset Y_ i \times _ Y X is proper over Y_ i (Cohomology of Schemes, Definition 30.26.2) then Z is proper over Y.

Proof. Endow Z with the reduced induced closed subscheme structure, see Schemes, Definition 26.12.5. For every i the base change Y_ i \times _ Y Z is a closed subscheme of Y_ i \times _ Y X whose underlying closed subset is Z_ i. By definition (via Cohomology of Schemes, Lemma 30.26.1) we conclude that the projections Y_ i \times _ Y Z \to Y_ i are proper morphisms. Hence Z \to Y is a proper morphism by Lemma 35.23.14. Thus Z is proper over Y by definition. \square

Lemma 35.25.6. Let f : X \to S be a morphism of schemes. Let \mathcal{L} be an invertible \mathcal{O}_ X-module. Let \{ g_ i : S_ i \to S\} _{i \in I} be an fpqc covering. Let f_ i : X_ i \to S_ i be the base change of f and let \mathcal{L}_ i be the pullback of \mathcal{L} to X_ i. The following are equivalent

  1. \mathcal{L} is ample on X/S, and

  2. \mathcal{L}_ i is ample on X_ i/S_ i for every i \in I.

Proof. The implication (1) \Rightarrow (2) follows from Morphisms, Lemma 29.37.9. Assume \mathcal{L}_ i is ample on X_ i/S_ i for every i \in I. By Morphisms, Definition 29.37.1 this implies that X_ i \to S_ i is quasi-compact and by Morphisms, Lemma 29.37.3 this implies X_ i \to S is separated. Hence f is quasi-compact and separated by Lemmas 35.23.1 and 35.23.6.

This means that \mathcal{A} = \bigoplus _{d \geq 0} f_*\mathcal{L}^{\otimes d} is a quasi-coherent graded \mathcal{O}_ S-algebra (Schemes, Lemma 26.24.1). Moreover, the formation of \mathcal{A} commutes with flat base change by Cohomology of Schemes, Lemma 30.5.2. In particular, if we set \mathcal{A}_ i = \bigoplus _{d \geq 0} f_{i, *}\mathcal{L}_ i^{\otimes d} then we have \mathcal{A}_ i = g_ i^*\mathcal{A}. It follows that the natural maps \psi _ d : f^*\mathcal{A}_ d \to \mathcal{L}^{\otimes d} of \mathcal{O}_ X pullback to give the natural maps \psi _{i, d} : f_ i^*(\mathcal{A}_ i)_ d \to \mathcal{L}_ i^{\otimes d} of \mathcal{O}_{X_ i}-modules. Since \mathcal{L}_ i is ample on X_ i/S_ i we see that for any point x_ i \in X_ i, there exists a d \geq 1 such that f_ i^*(\mathcal{A}_ i)_ d \to \mathcal{L}_ i^{\otimes d} is surjective on stalks at x_ i. This follows either directly from the definition of a relatively ample module or from Morphisms, Lemma 29.37.4. If x \in X, then we can choose an i and an x_ i \in X_ i mapping to x. Since \mathcal{O}_{X, x} \to \mathcal{O}_{X_ i, x_ i} is flat hence faithfully flat, we conclude that for every x \in X there exists a d \geq 1 such that f^*\mathcal{A}_ d \to \mathcal{L}^{\otimes d} is surjective on stalks at x. This implies that the open subset U(\psi ) \subset X of Constructions, Lemma 27.19.1 corresponding to the map \psi : f^*\mathcal{A} \to \bigoplus _{d \geq 0} \mathcal{L}^{\otimes d} of graded \mathcal{O}_ X-algebras is equal to X. Consider the corresponding morphism

r_{\mathcal{L}, \psi } : X \longrightarrow \underline{\text{Proj}}_ S(\mathcal{A})

It is clear from the above that the base change of r_{\mathcal{L}, \psi } to S_ i is the morphism r_{\mathcal{L}_ i, \psi _ i} which is an open immersion by Morphisms, Lemma 29.37.4. Hence r_{\mathcal{L}, \psi } is an open immersion by Lemma 35.23.16 and we conclude \mathcal{L} is ample on X/S by Morphisms, Lemma 29.37.4. \square


Comments (3)

Comment #7749 by Ashutosh Roy Choudhury on

In 35.25.1, why is the diagonal an isomorphism?

Comment #7994 by on

Monomorphism iff diagonal isomorphism holds in any category with fibre products. OK?


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked.

In your comment you can use Markdown and LaTeX style mathematics (enclose it like $\pi$). A preview option is available if you wish to see how it works out (just click on the eye in the toolbar).

Unfortunately JavaScript is disabled in your browser, so the comment preview function will not work.

All contributions are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.