Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2010 / iii / Paper 16 / 2 / Solution

A proper morphism of schemes is a separated morphism of finite type which is a universally closed morphism: after every base change, the resulting map of underlying topological spaces takes closed subsets to closed subsets.

The valuative criterion for properness, in the Noetherian setting used here, says that a finite type morphism $f:X\to Y$ is a proper morphism if and only if the following existence and uniqueness condition holds. For every valuation ring $V$, its fraction field $K$, and compatible morphisms of schemes $a:\mathrm{Spec}K\to X$ and $b:\mathrm{Spec}V\to Y$ with $f\circ a=b{|}_{\mathrm{Spec}K}$, there is exactly one morphism of schemes $h:\mathrm{Spec}V\to X$ such that $h{|}_{\mathrm{Spec}K}=a$ and $f\circ h=b$. All valuation rings are allowed; no discreteness assumption is needed in this formulation. The following arguments also use that each of the three defining conditions for a proper morphism is preserved by base change.