Finite flat commutative group schemes over complete discrete valuation rings III: classification, tangent spaces, and semistable reduction of Abelian varieties

Abstract

We classify group schemes in terms of their Cartier modules. We also prove the equivalence of different definitions of the tangent space and the dimension for these group schemes; in particular, the minimal dimension of a formal group law that contains $S$ as a closed subgroup is equal to the minimal number of generators for the affine algebra of $S$. As an application the following reduction criteria for Abelian varieties are proved. Let $K$ be a mixed characteristic local field, let its residue field have characteristic $p$, $L$ be a finite extension of $K$, let $\mathfrak{O}_K\subset\mathfrak{O}_L$ be their rings of integers. Let $e$ be the absolute ramification index of $L$, $s=[\log_p(pe/(p-1))]$, $e_0$ be the ramification index of $L/K$, $l=2s+v_p(e_0)+1$. For a finite flat commutative $\mathfrak{O}_L$-group scheme $H$ we denote the $\mathfrak{O}_L$-dual of the module $J/J^2$ by $TH$. Here $J$ is the augmentation ideal of the affine algebra of $H$. Let $V$ be an $m$-dimensional Abelian variety over $K$. Suppose that $V$ has semistable reduction over $L$. \begin{theor} $V$ has semistable reduction over $K$ if and only if for some group scheme $H$ over $\mathfrak{O}_K$ there exist embeddings of $H_K$ into $\operatorname{Ker}[p^{l}]_{V,K}$, and of $(\mathfrak{O}_L/p^l\mathfrak{O}_L)^m$ into $TH_\ol$. \end{theor} This criterion has a very nice-looking version in the ordinary reduction case. \begin{theor} $V$ has ordinary reduction over $K$ if and only if for some $H_K\subset \operatorname{Ker}[p^{l}]_{V,K}$ and $M$ unramified over $K$ we have $H_M\cong (\mu_{p^{l},M})^m$. Here $\mu$ denotes the group scheme of roots of unity.\end{theor}