The Stacks project

Proof. Set $\mathcal{X} = \mathcal{C}\! \mathit{oh}_{X/B}$. We have seen that $\mathcal{X}$ is a stack in groupoids over $(\mathit{Sch}/S)_{fppf}$ with diagonal representable by algebraic spaces (Lemmas 99.5.4 and 99.5.3). Hence it suffices to find a scheme $W$ and a surjective and smooth morphism $W \to \mathcal{X}$.

Let $B'$ be a scheme and let $B' \to B$ be a surjective étale morphism. Set $X' = B' \times _ B X$ and denote $f' : X' \to B'$ the projection. Then $\mathcal{X}' = \mathcal{C}\! \mathit{oh}_{X'/B'}$ is equal to the $2$-fibre product of $\mathcal{X}$ with the category fibred in sets associated to $B'$ over the category fibred in sets associated to $B$ (Remark 99.5.5). By the material in Algebraic Stacks, Section 94.10 the morphism $\mathcal{X}' \to \mathcal{X}$ is surjective and étale. Hence it suffices to prove the result for $\mathcal{X}'$. In other words, we may assume $B$ is a scheme.

Assume $B$ is a scheme. In this case we may replace $S$ by $B$, see Algebraic Stacks, Section 94.19. Thus we may assume $S = B$.

Assume $S = B$. Choose an affine open covering $S = \bigcup U_ i$. Denote $\mathcal{X}_ i$ the restriction of $\mathcal{X}$ to $(\mathit{Sch}/U_ i)_{fppf}$. If we can find schemes $W_ i$ over $U_ i$ and surjective smooth morphisms $W_ i \to \mathcal{X}_ i$, then we set $W = \coprod W_ i$ and we obtain a surjective smooth morphism $W \to \mathcal{X}$. Thus we may assume $S = B$ is affine.

Assume $S = B$ is affine, say $S = \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(\Lambda )$. Write $\Lambda = \mathop{\mathrm{colim}}\nolimits \Lambda _ i$ as a filtered colimit with each $\Lambda _ i$ of finite type over $\mathbf{Z}$. For some $i$ we can find a morphism of algebraic spaces $X_ i \to \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(\Lambda _ i)$ which is of finite presentation, separated, and flat and whose base change to $\Lambda $ is $X$. See Limits of Spaces, Lemmas 70.7.1, 70.6.9, and 70.6.12. If we show that $\mathcal{C}\! \mathit{oh}_{X_ i/\mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(\Lambda _ i)}$ is an algebraic stack, then it follows by base change (Remark 99.5.5 and Algebraic Stacks, Section 94.19) that $\mathcal{X}$ is an algebraic stack. Thus we may assume that $\Lambda $ is a finite type $\mathbf{Z}$-algebra.

Assume $S = B = \mathop{\mathrm{Spec}}(\Lambda )$ is affine of finite type over $\mathbf{Z}$. In this case we will verify conditions (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) of Artin's Axioms, Lemma 98.17.1 to conclude that $\mathcal{X}$ is an algebraic stack. Note that $\Lambda $ is a G-ring, see More on Algebra, Proposition 15.50.12. Hence all local rings of $S$ are G-rings. Thus (5) holds. By Lemma 99.5.11 we have that $\mathcal{X}$ satisfies openness of versality, hence (4) holds. To check (2) we have to verify axioms [-1], [0], [1], [2], and [3] of Artin's Axioms, Section 98.14. We omit the verification of [-1] and axioms [0], [1], [2], [3] correspond respectively to Lemmas 99.5.4, 99.5.6, 99.5.7, 99.5.9. Condition (3) follows from Lemma 99.5.10. Finally, condition (1) is Lemma 99.5.3. This finishes the proof of the theorem. $\square$