If U is the variety of unipotent elements in a reductive group G, and X the variety of Borel subgroups B, then the Springer resolution of U is the variety of pairs (u,B) of U×X such that u is in the Borel subgroup B. The map to U is the projection to the first factor. The Springer resolution for Lie algebras is similar, except that U is replaced by the nilpotent elements of the Lie algebra of G and X replaced by the variety of Borel subalgebras.
