Sid Mathur. UC Chile
Introducción a stacks I
sala 2
Abstract:
Algebraic stacks are a fundamental tool in algebraic geometry. Initially introduced by Deligne-Mumford in the 60s, and further expanded on by Artin, the theory is now foundational and a working knowledge is essential for any modern algebraic geometer. The language of stacks has several advantages over the smaller category of schemes, here are a few:
1. Stacks permit a systematic study of moduli problems which emphasizes intrinsic local structure in place of ad hoc projective methods.
2. Schemes do not behave well with respect to quotients whereas the theory of stacks accommodates quotients perfectly well.
3. Stacks recover the topological notion of classifying spaces in algebraic geometry and they geometrize cohomology in degree two.
In the course of six lectures, we will define algebraic stacks, give plenty of examples, and if time permits, use the techniques we've developed to attack concrete problems. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to, - annihilating cohomology by finite flat covers, representing Brauer classes by Azumaya algebras and constructing the moduli space of branch varieties.
Warning: The language of stacks is quite technical, so it will be impossible to develop the entire theory in six lectures. However I hope to accomplish two goals: 1) Explain what a stack is, with definitions and examples, and 2) Show why the notion is useful by outlining applications. I will also give exercises and I highly recommend working on them, as they will be an essential part of the talks.
References:
Books:
1. Alper is working on a book about Stacks and moduli. He is a great expositor and this is probably as good a resource as one could hope for
2. Laumon and Moret-Bailly have a beautiful book on algebraic stacks. I highly recommend working through, at least, the first 6 chapters.
3. Olsson has a nice book on Algebraic spaces and stacks. It is quite technical but a very useful resource.
Notes:
1. Vistoli has notes on fibered categories and descent that are very useful, we will not take a deep dive into this aspect although it is very important and foundational.
2. Edidin has notes on the construction of the moduli space of curves, the second section is a nice introduction to DM stacks.
See this link for a more thorough guide to the literature on stacks: