A1-homotopy groups,excision, and solvable quotients

We study some properties of ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy groups: geometric interpretations of connectivity, excision results, and a re-interpretation of quotients by free actions of connected solvable groups in terms of covering spaces in the sense of ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy theory. These concepts and results are well suited to the study of certain quotients via geometric invariant theory. As a case study in the geometry of solvable group quotients, we investigate ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy groups of smooth toric varieties. We give simple combinatorial conditions (in terms of fans) guaranteeing vanishing of low degree ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy groups of smooth (proper) toric varieties. Finally, in certain cases, we can actually compute the “next” non-vanishing ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy group (beyond ${\pi }_1^{{\mathbb{A}}^1}$) of a smooth toric variety. From this point of view, ${\mathbb{A}}^1$-homotopy theory, even with its exquisite sensitivity to algebro-geometric structure, is almost “as tractable” (in low degrees) as ordinary homotopy for large classes of interesting varieties.