Closed Subschemes.
(a) Closed immersions are stable under base extension: if \(f: Y \rightarrow X\)
is a closed immersion, and if \(X^{\prime} \rightarrow X\) is any morphism, then
\(f^{\prime}: Y \times_{X} X^{\prime} \rightarrow X^{\prime}\) is also a closed
immersion.
(b) If \(Y\) is a closed subscheme of an affine scheme \(X=\operatorname{Spec}
A\), then \(Y\) is also affine, and in fact \(Y\) is the closed subscheme
determined by a suitable ideal \(\mathfrak{a} \subseteq A\) as the image of the
closed immersion \(\operatorname{Spec} A / \mathfrak{a} \rightarrow
\operatorname{Spec} A\). [Hints: First
show that \(Y\) can be covered by a finite number of open affine subsets of the
form \(D\left(f_{i}\right) \cap Y,\) with \(f_{i} \in A .\) By adding some more
\(f_{i}\) with \(D\left(f_{i}\right) \cap Y=\varnothing\) if necessary, show that
we may assume that the \(D\left(f_{i}\right)\) cover \(X .\) Next show that
\(f_{1}, \ldots, f_{r}\) generate the unit ideal of \(A .\) Then use (Ex. 2.17 b)
to show that \(Y\) is affine, and (Ex. \(2.18 \mathrm{d}\) ) to show that \(Y\)
comes from an ideal \(\mathfrak{a} \subseteq\) A. .] Note: We will give another
proof of this result using sheaves of ideals later (5.10).
(c) Let \(Y\) be a closed subset of a scheme \(X\), and give \(Y\) the reduced
induced subscheme structure. If \(Y^{\prime}\) is any other closed subscheme of
\(X\) with the same underlying topological space, show that the closed immersion
\(Y \rightarrow X\) factors through \(Y^{\prime} .\) We express this property by
saying that the reduced induced structure is the smallest subscheme structure
on a closed subset.
(d) Let \(f: Z \rightarrow X\) be a morphism. Then there is a unique closed
subscheme \(Y\) of \(X\) with the following property: the morphism \(f\) factors
through \(Y\), and if \(Y^{\prime}\) is any other closed subscheme of \(X\) through
which \(f\) factors, then \(Y \rightarrow X\) factors through \(Y^{\prime}\) also.
We call \(Y\) the scheme-theoretic image of \(f\). If \(Z\) is a reduced scheme,
then \(Y\) is just the reduced induced structure on the closure of the image
\(f(Z)\)