In algebraic geometry, a level structure on a space X is an extra structure attached to X that shrinks or eliminates the automorphism group of X, by demanding automorphisms to preserve the level structure; attaching a level structure is often phrased as rigidifying the geometry of X.[1][2]
In applications, a level structure is used in the construction of moduli spaces; a moduli space is often constructed as a quotient. The presence of automorphisms poses a difficulty to forming a quotient; thus introducing level structures helps overcome this difficulty.
There is no single definition of a level structure; rather, depending on the space X, one introduces the notion of a level structure. The classic one is that on an elliptic curve (see #Example: an abelian scheme). There is a level structure attached to a formal group called a Drinfeld level structure, introduced in (Drinfeld 1974).[3]