Algebraic stacks Tom´as L. G´omez Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Homi Bhabha road, Mumbai 400 005 (India)
[email protected] 9 November 1999 Abstract This is an expository article on the theory of algebraic stacks. After intro- ducing the general theory, we concentrate in the example of the moduli stack of vector budles, giving a detailed comparison with the moduli scheme obtained via geometric invariant theory. 1 Introduction The concept of algebraic stack is a generalization of the concept of scheme, in the same sense that the concept of scheme is a generalization of the concept of projective variety. In many moduli problems, the functor that we want to study is not representable by a scheme. In other words, there is no fine moduli space. Usually this is because the objects that we want to parametrize have automorphisms. But if we enlarge the category of schemes (following ideas that go back to Grothendieck and Giraud, and were developed by Deligne, Mumford and Artin) and consider algebraic stacks, then we can construct the “moduli stack”, that captures all the information that we would like in a fine moduli space. The idea of enlarging the category of algebraic varieties to study moduli problems is not new. In fact A. Weil invented the concept of abstract variety to give an algebraic arXiv:math/9911199v1 [math.AG] 25 Nov 1999 construction of the Jacobian of a curve. These notes are an introduction to the theory of algebraic stacks. I have tried to emphasize ideas and concepts through examples instead of detailed proofs (I give references where these can be found).