Lemma 33.7.18. Let k be a field, with separable algebraic closure \overline{k}. Let X be a scheme over k. There is an action
\text{Gal}(\overline{k}/k)^{opp} \times \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}}) \longrightarrow \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}})
with the following properties:
An element \overline{T} \in \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}}) is fixed by the action if and only if there exists a connected component T \subset X, which is geometrically connected over k, such that T_{\overline{k}} = \overline{T}.
For any field extension k'/k with separable algebraic closure \overline{k}' the diagram
\xymatrix{ \text{Gal}(\overline{k}'/k') \times \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}'}) \ar[r] \ar[d] & \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}'}) \ar[d] \\ \text{Gal}(\overline{k}/k) \times \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}}) \ar[r] & \pi _0(X_{\overline{k}}) }
is commutative (where the right vertical arrow is a bijection according to Lemma 33.7.6).
Proof.
The action (33.7.8.1) of \text{Gal}(\overline{k}/k) on X_{\overline{k}} induces an action on its connected components. Connected components are always closed (Topology, Lemma 5.7.3). Hence if \overline{T} is as in (1), then by Lemma 33.7.10 there exists a closed subset T \subset X such that \overline{T} = T_{\overline{k}}. Note that T is geometrically connected over k, see Lemma 33.7.7. To see that T is a connected component of X, suppose that T \subset T', T \not= T' where T' is a connected component of X. In this case T'_{k'} strictly contains \overline{T} and hence is disconnected. By Lemma 33.7.12 this means that T' is disconnected! Contradiction.
We omit the proof of the functoriality in (2).
\square
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