From moment graphs to intersection cohomology

We describe a method of computing equivariant and ordinary intersection cohomology of certain varieties with actions of algebraic tori, in terms of structure of the zero- and one-dimensional orbits. The class of varieties to which our formula applies includes Schubert varieties in flag varieties and affine flag varieties. We also prove a monotonicity result on local intersection cohomology stalks. Received: 9 November 2000 / Published online: 24 September 2001     

On cohomology algebras of complex subspace arrangements

The integer cohomology algebra of the complement of a complex subspace arrangement with geometric intersection lattice is completely determined by the combinatorial data of the arrangement. We give a combinatorial presentation of the cohomology algebra in the spirit of the Orlik-Solomon result on the cohomology algebras of complex hyperplane arrangements. Our methods are elementary: we work with simplicial models for the complements that are induced by combinatorial stratifications of complex space. We describe simplicial cochains that generate the cohomology. Among them we distinguish a linear basis, study cup product multiplication, and derive an algebra presentation in terms of generators and relations.

     

Quantum Cohomology of Minuscule Homogeneous Spaces

We study the quantum cohomology of (co)minuscule homogeneous varieties under a unified perspective. We show that three points Gromov–Witten invariants can always be interpreted as classical intersection numbers on auxiliary varieties. Our main combinatorial tools are certain quivers, in terms of which we obtain a quantum Chevalley formula and a higher quantum Poincaré duality. In particular, we compute the quantum cohomology of the two exceptional minuscule homogeneous varieties. DOI: .     

Paving Hessenberg varieties by affines

Regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties form a family of subvarieties of the flag variety arising in the study of quantum cohomology, geometric representation theory, and numerical analysis. In this paper we construct a paving by affines of regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties for all classical types, generalizing results of De Concini–Lusztig–Procesi and Kostant. This paving is in fact the intersection of a particular Bruhat decomposition with the Hessenberg variety. The nonempty cells of the paving and their dimensions are identified by combinatorial conditions on roots. We use the paving to prove these Hessenberg varieties have no odd-dimensional homology.      

The hypertoric intersection cohomology ring

We present a functorial computation of the equivariant intersection cohomology of a hypertoric variety, and endow it with a natural ring structure. When the hyperplane arrangement associated with the hypertoric variety is unimodular, we show that this ring structure is induced by a ring structure on the equivariant intersection cohomology sheaf in the equivariant derived category. The computation is given in terms of a localization functor which takes equivariant sheaves on a sufficiently nice stratified space to sheaves on a poset. T. Braden’s research was supported in part by NSF grant DMS-0201823. N. Proudfoot’s research was supported in part by an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and NSF grant DMS-0738335.     

Intersection theory of projective linear spaces

We study the intersection theory of a class of projective linear spaces (generalizations of projective space bundles in which the fibres are linear but of varying dimensions). In particular we give exact sequences for the Chow and Chow cohomology groups reminiscent of those for regular blowups. During this research the author was supported by a Sloan foundation doctoral disertation fellowship     

Hard Lefschetz theorem for nonrational polytopes

The Hard Lefschetz theorem is known to hold for the intersection cohomology of the toric variety associated to a rational convex polytope. One can construct the intersection cohomology combinatorially from the polytope, hence it is well defined even for nonrational polytopes when there is no variety associated to it. We prove the Hard Lefschetz theorem for the intersection cohomology of a general polytope.     

Spin^{\rm c} -manifolds with Pin(2)-action

We study -manifolds with Pin(2)-action. The main tool is a vanishing theorem for certain indices of twisted -Dirac operators. This theorem is used to show that the Witten genus vanishes on such manifolds provided the first Chern class and the first Pontrjagin class are torsion. We apply the vanishing theorem to cohomology complex projective spaces and give partial evidence for a conjecture of Petrie. For example we prove that the total Pontrjagin class of a cohomology with -action has standard form if the first Pontrjagin class has standard form. We also determine the intersection form of certain 4-manifolds with Pin(2)-action. Received: 26 June 1998     

Intrinsic characterization of Alexander-Spanier cohomology groups of compactifications

In this paper we construct a uniform Alexander-Spanier cohomology functor from the category of pairs of uniform spaces to the category of abelian groups. We show that this functor satisfies all Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms on the category of pairs of precompact uniform spaces, is precompact uniform shape invariant and intrinsically, in terms of uniform structures, describes the Alexander-Spanier cohomology groups of compactifications of completely regular spaces.     

Cohomology pairings on singular quotients in geometric invariant theory

In this paper we shall give formulas for the pairings of intersection cohomology classes of complementary dimensions in the intersection cohomology of geometric invariant-theoretic quotients for which semistability is not necessarily the same as stability (although we make some weaker assumptions on the action). We also give formulas for intersection pairings on resolutions of singularities (or more precisely partial resolutions, since orbifold singularities are allowed) of the quotients.     

Schubert polynomials and classes of Hessenberg varieties

Regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties are a family of subvarieties of the flag variety that arise in number theory, numerical analysis, representation theory, algebraic geometry, and combinatorics. We give a “Giambelli formula” expressing the classes of regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties in terms of Chern classes. In fact, we show that the cohomology class of each regular semisimple Hessenberg variety is the specialization of a certain double Schubert polynomial, giving a natural geometric interpretation to such specializations. We also decompose such classes in terms of the Schubert basis for the cohomology ring of the flag variety. The coefficients obtained are nonnegative, and we give closed combinatorial formulas for the coefficients in many cases. We introduce a closely related family of schemes called regular nilpotent Hessenberg schemes, and use our results to determine when such schemes are reduced.     

On manifolds satisfying stable systolic inequalities

We show that for closed orientable manifolds the k-dimensional stable systole admits a metric-independent volume bound if and only if there are cohomology classes of degree k that generate cohomology in top-degree. Moreover, it turns out that in the nonorientable case such a bound does not exist for stable systoles of dimension at least two. Additionally, we prove that the stable systolic constant depends only on the image of the fundamental class in a suitable Eilenberg–Mac Lane space. Consequently, the stable k-systolic constant is completely determined by the multilinear intersection form on k-dimensional cohomology.     

Vanishing of odd dimensional intersection cohomology II

For a variety where a connected linear algebraic group acts with only finitely many orbits, each of which admits an attractive slice, we show that the stratification by orbits is perfect for equivariant intersection cohomology with respect to any equivariant local system. This applies to provide a relationship between the vanishing of the odd dimensional intersection cohomology sheaves and of the odd dimensional global intersection cohomology groups. For example, we show that odd dimensional intersection cohomology sheaves and global intersection cohomology groups vanish for all complex spherical varieties. Received: 25 February 2000 / Accepted: 15 February 2001 / Published online: 23 July 2001     

p-adic Arakelov theory

We introduce the p-adic analogue of Arakelov intersection theory on arithmetic surfaces. The intersection pairing in an extension of the p-adic height pairing for divisors of degree 0 in the form described by Coleman and Gross. It also uses Coleman integration and is related to work of Colmez on p-adic Green functions. We introduce the p-adic version of a metrized line bundle and define the metric on the determinant of its cohomology in the style of Faltings. We also prove analogues of the Adjunction formula and the Riemann-Roch formula.     

Homology stability for classical regular semisimple varieties

We use techniques from homotopy theory, in particular the connection between configuration spaces and iterated loop spaces, to give geometric explanations of stability results for the cohomology of the varieties of regular semisimple elements in the simple complex Lie algebras of classical type A, B or C, as well as in the group . We show that the cohomology spaces of stable versions of these varieties have an algebraic stucture, which identifies them as “free Poisson algebras” with suitable degree shifts. Using this, we are able to give explicit formulae for the corresponding Poincaré series, which lead to power series identities by comparison with earlier work. The cases of type B and C involve ideas from equivariant homotopy theory. Our results may be interpreted in terms of the actions of a Weyl group on its coinvariant algebra (i.e. the coordinate ring of the affine space on which it acts, modulo the invariants of positive degree; this space coincides with the cohomology ring of the flag variety of the associated Lie group) and on the cohomology of its associated complex discriminant variety. Received August 31, 1998; in final form August 1, 1999 / Published online October 30, 2000     

Restriction map in a regular reduction of $\mathbf{SU}(n)^{2g}$

The quasi-Hamiltonian reduction of at a regular value, in the centre of SU(n), of the moment map is isomorphic to a moduli-space of semi-stable vector bundles over a Riemann surface. We describe the restriction map from the equivariant cohomology of to the cohomology of the moduli space in terms of natural multiplicative generators of these cohomologies. Received: May 28, 2002     

Borel–Moore homology,Riemann–Roch transformations,and local terms

We develop various properties of étale Borel–Moore homology and study its relationship with intersection theory. Using Gabber's localized cycle classes we define étale homological Gysin morphisms and show that they are compatible with the cycle class map and Gysin morphisms in intersection theory. We also study étale versions of bivariant operations, and establish their compatibility with Riemann–Roch transformations and Fulton–MacPherson bivariant operations. As an application of these techniques we show that in certain situations local terms for correspondences acting on étale cohomology are given by cycle classes.