Currently working on algebraic surfaces over the complex numbers. I did a course on schemes but at the moment just work in the language of varieties.
Now i encounter the term "étale morphism" every now and then (in the book by Beauville). I know Hartshorne's definition as a smooth morphism of relative dimension zero, and wikipedia states a bunch of equivalent ones. I can work with this, so no problem there. However, some more intuition about the concept would also be nice.
So basically, if you have worked with étale morphisms, could you explain what's your personal intuition for such things, in the case of varieties? If in your answer you could also mention smooth and flat morphisms, that would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Joachim
Best Answer
Instead of answering your question with general results easily obtainable from the literature, online or traditional, I'll give you a few morphisms.
Deciding whether they are are étale may contribute to developing your intuition.
(Of course I'll gladly help you or anybody else if you had any problem with these morphisms)
a) $\mathbb A^1_\mathbb C\to \operatorname {Spec}(\mathbb C[X,Y]/(Y^2-X^3)): t\mapsto (t^2,t^3)$
b) $\mathbb A^1_\mathbb C\to \operatorname {Spec}(\mathbb C[X,Y]/(Y^2-X^2-X^3)): t\mapsto (t^2-1,t^3-t)$
c) $\mathbb A^2_\mathbb C\to \mathbb A^2_\mathbb C: (x,y)\mapsto (x,xy)$
d) $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb C[T]\to \operatorname {Spec}\mathbb C[T^2,T^3]$
e) $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q[T]/(T^2-4)\to \operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q$
f) $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q[T]/(T^2+4)\to \operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q$
g) $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q[T]/(T^2)\to \operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q$
h) $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb F_9\to \operatorname {Spec}\mathbb F_3$
Edit (one day later) : Two useful theorems and how they settle the question of étaleness of the above morphisms
Theorem 1 Given a field $k$ and a $k$-algebra $A$, the morphism $\operatorname {Spec}(A)\to \operatorname {Spec}(k) $ is étale iff $A$ is isomorphic as a $k$-algebra to a finite product $A\cong K_1\times...\times K_n$ of finite separable field extensions $K_i/k$.
Remark In the étale case, $A$ must be reduced ( i.e. $\operatorname {Nil}(A)=0$ )
Example Every finite Galois extension $K/k$ gives rise to an étale morphism $\operatorname {Spec}(K)\to \operatorname {Spec}(k) $. This is the kernel of Grothendieck's famous geometrization of Galois theory
Illustration The morphisms e), f), h) are étale but g) is not because $\operatorname {Spec}\mathbb Q[T]/(T^2)$ is not reduced.
Theorem 2 A morphism of schemes $f:X\to Y$ is étale iff it is flat and unramified.
Illustration The morphisms a) , b), c) and d) are not étale because they are not flat
For the sake of completeness let me mention that a), c) and d) are ramified but that b) is unramified.
Let me also mention that a) and d) are two different presentations of the same morphism.