English

Torsors on the complement of a smooth divisor

Algebraic Geometry 2025-12-09 v6 Number Theory

Abstract

We complete the proof of the Nisnevich conjecture in equal characteristic: for a smooth algebraic variety XX over a field kk, a kk-smooth divisor DXD \subset X, and a reductive XX-group GG whose base change GDG_D is totally isotropic, we show that each generically trivial GG-torsor on XDX\setminus D trivializes Zariski semilocally on XX. In mixed characteristic, we show the same when kk is a replaced by a discrete valuation ring OO, the divisor DD is the closed OO-fiber of XX, and either GG is quasi-split or GG is only defined over XDX \setminus D but descends to a quasi-split group over Frac(O)\mathrm{Frac}(O) (a Kisin-Pappas type variant). Our arguments combine Gabber-Quillen style presentation lemmas with excision and reembedding d\'{e}vissages to reduce to analyzing generically trivial torsors over a relative affine line. As a byproduct of this analysis, we give a new proof for the Bass-Quillen conjecture for reductive group torsors over ARd\mathbb{A}^d_R in equal characteristic.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2204.08233,
  title  = {Torsors on the complement of a smooth divisor},
  author = {Kestutis Cesnavicius},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2204.08233},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

22 pages; final version, appeared in Cambridge Journal of Mathematics; added several footnotes that correct inaccuracies in the published version

R2 v1 2026-06-24T10:50:47.498Z