General Prerequisites: B2.2 Commutative Algebra is essential. C2.2 Homological Algebra is highly recommended and C2.7 Category Theory is recommended but the necessary material from both courses can be learnt during the course (see the beginning of the lecture notes for precise references). C3.4 Algebraic Geometry is recommended but not technically necessary.
C3.1 Algebraic Topology contains many homological techniques also used in this course.
Course Overview: Scheme theory is the foundation of modern algebraic geometry. It unifies algebraic geometry with algebraic number theory. This unification has led to proofs of important conjectures in number theory such as the Weil conjecture by Deligne and the Mordell conjecture by Faltings.
This course will cover the basics of the theory of schemes, with an emphasis on cohomological techniques.
Lecturer(s):
Prof. Alexander Ritter
Learning Outcomes: Students will have developed a thorough understanding of the basic concepts and methods of scheme theory. They will be able to work with affine and projective schemes, as well as with coherent sheaves and their cohomology groups.
Course Synopsis: Sheaves and cohomology of sheaves.
Affine schemes: points, topology, structure sheaf. Schemes: definition, subschemes, morphisms, glueing. Relative schemes: fibred products, Cohomological characterisation of affine schemes.
Projective schemes, morphisms to projective space. Ample line bundles. Cohomological characterisation of ampleness.
Flat morphisms, semicontinuity, Hilbert polynomials. Cohomological characterisation of flatness.
Constructibility and irreducibility. Images of constructible sets.
Separatedness, properness and valuative criteria. Hilbert and Quot schemes.
