On the fundamental groups of commutative algebraic groups

Abstract: Consider the abelian category ${\mathcal C}$ of commutative group schemes of finite type over a field $k$, its full subcategory ${\mathcal F}$ of finite group schemes, and the associated pro category ${\rm Pro}({\mathcal C})$ (resp. ${\rm Pro}({\mathcal F})$) of pro-algebraic (resp. profinite) group schemes. When $k$ is perfect, we show that the profinite fundamental group $\varpi_1 : {\rm Pro}({\mathcal C}) \to {\rm Pro}({\mathcal F})$ is left exact and commutes with base change under algebraic field extensions; as a consequence, the higher profinite homotopy functors $\varpi_i$ vanish for $i \geq 2$. Along the way, we describe the indecomposable projective objects of ${\rm Pro}({\mathcal C})$ over an arbitrary field $k$.