Graduate Summer School on the Geometry and Modular Representation Theory of Algebraic Groups: August 19 – 23, 2019

The school will consist of two morning lecture series and of afternoon lectures on topics directly related to the morning lecture series.

Michel Brion (Grenoble) will give one lecture series on the “Structure of algebraic groups and geometric applications”. Geordie Williamson (Sydney) will give the other lecture series  “On the modular representation theory of algebraic groups.”  

M. Brion’s abstract. The course will first give an overview of the “classical” structure theory of algebraic groups and of some related geometric developments and problems;

for example, on automorphism groups of projective algebraic varieties.

It will then address results and questions on algebraic groups over arbitrary fields, including the structure of pseudo-reductive groups (work of Conrad, Gabber and Prasad), and of pseudo-abelian varieties (Totaro). Five lectures, 75 minutes each.

G. Williamson’s abstract. This course will be about the modular (i.e. characteristic p) representation theory of reductive algebraic groups, like the general linear and symplectic groups. I will begin by reviewing the algebraic theory, where there are beautiful connections to classical Lie theory and finite group theory. I will then pass to the geometric theory (perverse and parity sheaves) which is behind recent breakthroughs in the subject. The theory is rich in mysteries and open conjectures, and I will try to outline potentially interesting research directions. Five lectures, 75 minutes each.