Generalized Albanese and its dual

Abstract

We consider categories of rational maps to algebraic groups and study existence and construction of universal objects for such categories, using the duality theory of Laumon 1-motives. In particular, we obtain functorial descriptions of the Albanese of a singular projective variety X over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, which is the universal regular quotient of a relative Chow group of points on X, and of its dual.