Let k be a field and X a k-form of the projective line. We classify all the isomorphism classes of vector bundles over X.

We investigate the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves on irreducible singular projective curves of arithmetic genus one. A description of the group of exact auto-equivalences and the set of all $t$-structures of this category is given. We describe the moduli space of stability conditions, obtain a complete classification of all spherical objects in this category and show that the group of exact auto-equivalences acts transitively on them. Harder–Narasimhan filtrations in the sense of Bridgeland are used as our main technical tool.

I give the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of Unitary local systems with prescribed local monodromies on $\mathbb P$1 − S where S is a finite set. This is used to give an algorithm to decide if a rigid local system on $\mathbb P$1 − S has finite global monodromy, thereby answering a question of N. Katz. The methods of this article (use of Harder–Narasimhan filtrations) are used to strengthen Klyachko's theorem on sums of Hermitian matrices. In the Appendix, I give a reformulation of Mehta–Seshadri theorem in the SU(n) setting.