Orbits on Linear Algebraic Groups

Let G be a linear algebraic group and let p: G GL(V) be a rational representation of G. When G is linearly reductive, D. Mumford has shown that if a point x C V has 0 in the Zariski-closure cl (Gs x) of its orbit, then there exists a one-parameter subgroup X: Gm G such that x(a) x 0 as a 0 (Theorem (4.1)). (See ? 2 for notation and definitions.) Suppose that G and p :are defined over a field k and that x C Vk. It has been conjectured by Mumford (based on a stronger conjecture of J. Tits see [13, p. 64]) that, when k is perfect, X can be chosen to be defined over k. More generally, one can ask when a linear algebraic k-group G has the following property: