Fiber product of schemes ($X{\times }_{S}Y$)

The fibre product $X{\times }_{S}Y$ represents pairs of morphisms to $X$ and $Y$ with equal composites to $S$. Affine-locally,

For two closed subschemes of a scheme $X$, their intersection is their fiber product of schemes over $X$. On an affine chart, ideals $I,J$ give the quotient by $I+J$. This retains nonreduced structure and intersection multiplicities which a set-theoretic intersection would lose.

For morphisms of schemes $X\to S$, $Y\to S$, a pair of points $x,y$ lifts to a point of $X{\times }_{S}Y$ exactly when their base images agree. For sufficiency use the nonempty spectrum of a commutative ring of $\kappa (x){\otimes }_{\kappa (s)}\kappa (y)$, by tensor product of field extensions is nonzero. This establishes existence, not uniqueness, of a lift.

The fibre of a morphism of schemes over $y\in Y$ is its base change to the residue field $\kappa (y)$. For $\mathrm{Spec}B\to \mathrm{Spec}A$, with $y$ corresponding to $\mathfrak{p}$, its fibre ring is $B{\otimes }_A\kappa (\mathfrak{p})$. Its structure sheaf records nilpotents and multiplicities that the set-theoretic inverse image cannot see.

Blow up $(0,1,0)$ in ${\mathbb{A}}_{x,y,z}^3$ and compose with $xy:{\mathbb{A}}^3\to {\mathbb{A}}^1$. Nonzero fibres are ${\mathbb{G}}_m\times {\mathbb{A}}^1$. The zero fibre consists of the strict transforms of the two coordinate planes and the exceptional ${\mathbb{P}}^2$, all with multiplicity one. Its plane crossings make it singular; its closed ${\mathbb{P}}^2$ makes it nonaffine. The centre is deliberately on just one component of $xy=0$, keeping the fibre reduced.

The scheme-theoretic fibres over positive real points, negative real points, zero, and nonreal closed points have real coordinate algebras ${\mathbb{R}}^2\times \mathbb{C}$, ${\mathbb{C}}^2$, $\mathbb{R}[x]/(x^4)$, and ${\mathbb{C}}^4$, respectively. Their ordinary irreducible component counts are $3,2,1,4$, so there are four real-scheme isomorphism classes. The last case pulls back an irreducible quadratic to a squarefree degree-eight polynomial, with four conjugate pairs of nonreal roots. The zero fibre retains its nilpotents and is not a reduced point.

A morphism of schemes between integral schemes can have a scheme-theoretic fibre that is neither reduced nor irreducible. For the map of affine lines given by $t=x^2(x-1{)}^2$, the fibre at $t=0$ has ring $k[x]/(x^2(x-1{)}^2)$. The Chinese remainder theorem identifies it with the product of two dual number rings, so it consists of two nonreduced double points. Its nilpotent structure is invisible to the set-theoretic fibre.

For an injective ring homomorphism between nonzero integral domains $A\to B$, the scheme-theoretic fibre over the generic point of $\mathrm{Spec}A$ is $\mathrm{Spec}(S^{-1}B)$ with $S=A\setminus \{0\}$. Localization at these nonzero elements is a nonzero integral domain, so the generic fibre is a nonempty integral scheme. A surjective morphism between these affine schemes necessarily gives an injective ring map: a prime above $(0)$ contains its kernel.

For morphisms $X\to S$ and $Y\to S$, maps $T\to X{\times }_{S}Y$ are naturally equivalent to pairs of maps $T\to X$ and $T\to Y$ whose composites to $S$ agree.

Given $f:X\to Y$ and $g:Y^{\prime }\to Y$, the base change of $f$ along $g$ is the projectionProperties such as being proper and flat are stable under arbitrary base change.

Flatness of a projective family does not by itself force global sections to commute with base change. For a discrete valuation ring with uniformizer $\pi$, glue $\mathrm{Spec}R[\pi t,t^2,t^3]$ to $\mathrm{Spec}R[t^{-1}]$ along $\mathrm{Spec}R[t,t^{-1}]$. In the projective model with coordinates $(1,\pi t,t^2,t^3)$, the global ring is $R$. The special-fibre first chart has an additional square-zero element $a$ annihilated by $t^2,t^3$; it vanishes on the overlap and therefore extends by zero to a global section. The special-fibre global ring is $k[a]/(a^2)$, and base change from $R$ reaches only its constants.

For a scheme over $\mathbb{R}$, its base change of a morphism of schemes to $\mathbb{C}$ has scheme-theoretic fibre over a point $p$ equal to $\mathrm{Spec}(\kappa (p){\otimes }_{\mathbb{R}}\mathbb{C})$. This is the spectrum of $\kappa (p)[s]/(s^2+1)$. It has two points if $-1$ is a square in the residue field, and otherwise one point with a quadratic field extension. In both cases it is reduced, because the quadratic polynomial has no repeated root in characteristic zero. The distinction applies to generic points as well as closed points.

If $X\to Y$ is a surjective morphism of schemes, the projection $X{\times }_Y{Y}^{\prime }\to Y^{\prime }$ is surjective for every $Y^{\prime }\to Y$. For a point $y\prime$, choose a point $x$ over its base image and apply the point-lifting property of a scheme fibre product. No flatness assumption is necessary.