Generic stabilizers for simple algebraic groups

Abstract

We prove a myriad of results related to the stabilizer in an algebraic group $G$ of a generic vector in a representation $V$ of $G$ over an algebraically closed field $k$. Our results are on the level of group schemes, which carries more information than considering both the Lie algebra of $G$ and the group $G(k)$ of $k$-points. For $G$ simple and $V$ faithful and irreducible, we prove the existence of a stabilizer in general position, sometimes called a principal orbit type. We determine those $G$ and $V$ for which the stabilizer in general position is smooth, or $\dim V/G < \dim G$, or there is a $v \in V$ whose stabilizer in $G$ is trivial.