# Contents

## Idea

This name is used for the fundamental group of a scheme, as defined by Grothendieck in SGA1.

## Definition

Let $S$ be a connected scheme. Recall that a finite étale cover of $S$ is a finite flat surjection $X\to S$ such that each fibre at a point $s \in S$ is the spectrum of a finite étale algebra over the local ring at $s$. Fix a geometric point $\overline{s} : Spec(\Omega) \to \Omega$.

For a finite étale cover, $X\to S$, we consider the geometric fibre, $X\times_S Spec (\Omega)$, over $\overline{s}$, and denote by $Fib_\overline{s} (X)$ its underlying set. This gives a set-valued functor on the category of finite étale covers of $X$.

The algebraic fundamental group, $\pi_1(S, \overline{s})$ is defined to be the automorphism group of this functor.

For more on this area, see at étale homotopy.

(This entry is a stub and needs more work, including the linked entries that do not yet exist! Also explanation of $\Omega$. It is adapted from the first reference below.)

## References

or in a lengthier form:

• Tamás Szamuely, Galois Groups and Fundamental Groups, Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, vol. 117, Cambridge University Press, 2009.

and earlier version is to be found here.

Revised on September 3, 2012 20:29:47 by Tim Porter (95.147.237.93)