Formal Manifold Structures on Positive Characteristic Varieties

Abstract

In his 1970 ICM report, Sullivan proposes the program of l-adic formalization of the concept of manifolds. In this program, he claims that smooth positive characteristic varieties should carry l-adic formal manifold structures. He also claims the existence of an abelianized Galois symmetry on l-adic formal manifold structures. This paper carries out this program, establishes the claims for certain varieties, and relates the abelianized Galois symmetry on l-adic formal manifold structures to the Galois symmetry of varieties. Meanwhile, we prove that a simply-connected variety is l-adic homotopic equivalent to a simply-connected finite CW complex if and only if the l-profinite completion of its etale homotopy type admits an l-local lifting.

38 pages, the first part of the paper thoroughly revised. Comments welcome!