Bijection between tangent vectors and morphisms

algebraic-geometryschemes

In Ravi Vakil's Fundation of algebraic geometry, exercise 12.1.I states that:

If $X$ is a $k$-scheme, then there is a natural bijection from $\operatorname{Mor}_k(\operatorname{Spec}k[\epsilon]/(\epsilon^2),X)$ to the data of a point $p$ with residue field $k$ and a tangent vector at $p$.

I think what I understand is that: for any morphism $\pi\in\operatorname{Mor}_k(\operatorname{Spec}k[\epsilon]/(\epsilon^2),X)$, the pushfowrad of the structure sheaf of $\operatorname{Spec}k[\epsilon]/(\epsilon^2)$ is a skyscraper sheaf at a point $p$, and the morphism is determined by a ring homomorphism $\pi^\#$ from the local ring $X_p$ to the local ring at $[(\epsilon)]$.

On the other hand a tangent vector at $p$ would be a linear map from $m/m^2$ to $k$, but what number in $\pi^\#$ correspond to this linear map?

Best Answer

If $A$ is a local ring containing its residue field $k$ and with maximal ideal $\mathfrak{m}$, then a local homomorphism of local rings $$A \xrightarrow{\pi^{\#}} k[\epsilon]/(\epsilon^2)$$ over $k$ is equivalent to a $k$-linear map $\mathfrak{m}/\mathfrak{m}^2\xrightarrow{\varphi} (\epsilon)/(\epsilon^2)\cong k$.

To see how a given $\varphi$ would induce a $\pi^{\#}$, note that any element of $A$ may be written uniquely as $a+b$ where $a\in k$ and $b\in \mathfrak{m}$. Then set $\pi^{\#}(a+b)=a+\varphi(b)$.

(We know the local ring, $X_p$ in your notation, must contain $k$ because $X$ is assumed to be a $k$-scheme.)

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