Cocharacter-Closure and the Rational Hilbert-Mumford Theorem

Abstract

For a field $k$, let $G$ be a reductive $k$-group and $V$ an affine $k$-variety on which $G$ acts. Using the notion of cocharacter-closed $G(k)$-orbits in $V$ , we prove a rational version of the celebrated Hilbert-Mumford Theorem from geometric invariant theory. We initiate a study of applications stemming from this rationality tool. A number of examples are discussed to illustrate the concept of cocharacter-closure and to highlight how it differs from the usual Zariski-closure.