A Littlewood–Richardson rule for two-step flag varieties

This paper studies the geometry of one-parameter specializations of subvarieties of Grassmannians and two-step flag varieties. As a consequence, we obtain a positive, geometric rule for expressing the structure constants of the cohomology of two-step flag varieties in terms of their Schubert basis. A corollary is a positive, geometric rule for computing the structure constants of the small quantum cohomology of Grassmannians. We also obtain a positive, geometric rule for computing the classes of subvarieties of Grassmannians that arise as the projection of the intersection of two Schubert varieties in a partial flag variety. These rules have numerous applications to geometry, representation theory and the theory of symmetric functions. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000)  Primary 14M15, 14N35, 32M10     

Restriction varieties and geometric branching rules

This paper develops a new method for studying the cohomology of orthogonal flag varieties. Restriction varieties are subvarieties of orthogonal flag varieties defined by rank conditions with respect to (not necessarily isotropic) flags. They interpolate between Schubert varieties in orthogonal flag varieties and the restrictions of general Schubert varieties in ordinary flag varieties. We give a positive, geometric rule for calculating their cohomology classes, obtaining a branching rule for Schubert calculus for the inclusion of the orthogonal flag varieties in Type A flag varieties. Our rule, in addition to being an essential step in finding a Littlewood–Richardson rule, has applications to computing the moment polytopes of the inclusion of SO(n) in SU(n), the asymptotic of the restrictions of representations of SL(n) to SO(n) and the classes of the moduli spaces of rank two vector bundles with fixed odd determinant on hyperelliptic curves. Furthermore, for odd orthogonal flag varieties, we obtain an algorithm for expressing a Schubert cycle in terms of restrictions of Schubert cycles of Type A flag varieties, thereby giving a geometric (though not positive) algorithm for multiplying any two Schubert cycles.     

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.     

Cohomology of line bundles on Schubert varieties: The rank two case

In this paper we describe vanishing and non-vanishing of cohomology of “most” line bundles over Schubert subvarieties of flag varieties for rank 2 semisimple algebraic groups.     

Rigidity of Schubert classes in orthogonal Grassmannians

A Schubert class σ in the cohomology of a homogeneous variety X is called rigid if the only projective subvarieties of X representing σ are Schubert varieties. A Schubert class σ is called multi rigid if the only projective subvarieties representing positive integral multiples of σ are unions of Schubert varieties. In this paper, we discuss the rigidity and multi rigidity of Schubert classes in orthogonal Grassmannians. For a large set of non-rigid classes, we provide explicit deformations of Schubert varieties using combinatorially defined varieties called restriction varieties. We characterize rigid and multi rigid Schubert classes of Grassmannian and quadric type. We also characterize all the rigid classes in OG(2, n) if n > 8.     

Bioriented flags and resolutions of Schubert varieties

We use incidence relations running in two directions in order to construct a Kempf–Laksov type resolution for any Schubert variety of the complete flag manifold but also an embedded resolution for any Schubert variety in the Grassmannian. These constructions are alternatives to the celebrated Bott–Samelson resolutions. The second process led to the introduction of W-flag varieties, algebro-geometric objects that interpolate between the standard flag manifolds and products of Grassmannians, but which are singular in general. The surprising simple desingularization of a particular such type of variety produces an embedded resolution of the Schubert variety within the Grassmannian.     

Flexibility of Schubert classes

In this note, we discuss the flexibility of Schubert classes in homogeneous varieties. We give several constructions for representing multiples of a Schubert class by irreducible subvarieties. We sharpen [22, Theorem 3.1] by proving that every positive multiple of an obstructed class in a cominuscule homogeneous variety can be represented by an irreducible subvariety.     

The topology of Birkhoff varieties

Our main theorem is that the inclusion of any Birkhoff subvariety in an affine flag variety is a homotopy equivalence. We also construct analogues of tubular neighborhoods for Birkhoff and Schubert varieties in affine or classical flag varieties.     

Patch ideals and Peterson varieties

Patch ideals encode neighbourhoods of a variety in GL _n /B. For Peterson varieties we determine generators for these ideals and show they are complete intersections, and thus Cohen–Macaulay and Gorenstein. Consequently, we

— combinatorially describe the singular locus of the Peterson variety;

— give an explicit equivariant K-theory localization formula; and

— extend some results of [B. Kostant ‘96] and of D. Peterson to intersections of Peterson varieties with Schubert varieties.

We conjecture that the tangent cones are Cohen–Macaulay, and that their h-polynomials are nonnegative and upper-semicontinuous. Similarly, we use patch ideals to briey analyze other examples of torus invariant subvarieties of GL _n /B, including Richardson varieties and Springer fibers.     

A partial Horn recursion in the cohomology of flag varieties

Horn recursion is a term used to describe when non-vanishing products of Schubert classes in the cohomology of complex flag varieties are characterized by inequalities parameterized by similar non-vanishing products in the cohomology of “smaller” flag varieties. We consider the type A partial flag variety and find that its cohomology exhibits a Horn recursion on a certain deformation of the cup product defined by Belkale and Kumar (Invent. Math. 166:185–228, 2006). We also show that if a product of Schubert classes is non-vanishing on this deformation, then the associated structure constant can be written in terms of structure constants coming from induced Grassmannians.     

The recursive nature of cominuscule Schubert calculus

The necessary and sufficient Horn inequalities which determine the non-vanishing Littlewood-Richardson coefficients in the cohomology of a Grassmannian are recursive in that they are naturally indexed by non-vanishing Littlewood-Richardson coefficients on smaller Grassmannians. We show how non-vanishing in the Schubert calculus for cominuscule flag varieties is similarly recursive. For these varieties, the non-vanishing of products of Schubert classes is controlled by the non-vanishing products on smaller cominuscule flag varieties. In particular, we show that the lists of Schubert classes whose product is non-zero naturally correspond to the integer points in the feasibility polytope, which is defined by inequalities coming from non-vanishing products of Schubert classes on smaller cominuscule flag varieties. While the Grassmannian is cominuscule, our necessary and sufficient inequalities are different than the classical Horn inequalities.     

Bruhat order, smooth Schubert varieties, and hyperplane arrangements

The aim of this article is to link Schubert varieties in the flag manifold with hyperplane arrangements. For a permutation, we construct a certain graphical hyperplane arrangement. We show that the generating function for regions of this arrangement coincides with the Poincaré polynomial of the corresponding Schubert variety if and only if the Schubert variety is smooth. We give an explicit combinatorial formula for the Poincaré polynomial. Our main technical tools are chordal graphs and perfect elimination orderings.     

The quantum cohomology of flag varieties and the periodicity of the Schubert structure constants

We give conditions on a curve class that guarantee the vanishing of the structure constants of the small quantum cohomology of partial flag varieties F(k ₁, ..., k _r ; n) for that class. We show that many of the structure constants of the quantum cohomology of flag varieties can be computed from the image of the evaluation morphism. In fact, we show that a certain class of these structure constants are equal to the ordinary intersection of Schubert cycles in a related flag variety. We obtain a positive, geometric rule for computing these invariants (see Coskun in A Littlewood–Richardson rule for partial flag varieties, preprint). Our study also reveals a remarkable periodicity property of the ordinary Schubert structure constants of partial flag varieties.     

李群表示论和Schubert条件

本文将Grassmann流形上的Schubert子簇所满足的经典的Schubert条件推广到一般的复半单李群G的广义旗流形.利用复半单李群的表示理论,我们首先在李群的权空间上引入自然的Ehresman偏序.这一偏序可以导出李群的最高权表示的权系、Weyl群及其陪集空间上的Ehresman偏序.然后我们对一般的复表示定义了相应的射影空间,Grassmann流形和旗流形.这使得能够像经典的情形一样来分析广义旗流形的Schubert子簇满足的Schubert条件.在讨论中,我们还给出了李群G的Weyl群及其陪集空间中的Bruhat-Chevalley偏序的简单判别条件.我们的结果应用到例外群,给出了Fulton提出的关于例外群的Schubert分析的问题的部分回答.     

Betti numbers of Springer fibers in type A

We determine the Betti numbers of the Springer fibers in type A. To do this, we construct a cell decomposition of the Springer fibers. The codimension of the cells is given by an analogue of the Coxeter length. This makes our cell decomposition well suited for the calculation of Betti numbers.     

A Deodhar-type stratification on the double flag variety

We describe a partition of the double flag variety G/B⁺ × G/B^- of a complex semisimple algebraic group G analogous to the Deodhar partition on the flag variety G/B⁺. This partition is a refinement of the stratification into orbits both for B⁺ × B^- and for the diagonal action of G, just as Deodhar's partition refines the orbits of B⁺ and B^-. We give a coordinate system on each stratum, and show that all strata are coisotropic subvarieties. Also, we discuss possible connections to the positive and cluster geometry of G/B⁺ × G/B^-, which would generalize results of Fomin and Zelevinsky on double Bruhat cells and Marsh and Rietsch on double Schubert cells.     

Chern class of Schubert cells in the flag manifold and related algebras

We discuss a relationship between Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson classes for Schubert cells in flag manifolds, the Fomin–Kirillov algebra, and the generalized nil-Hecke algebra. We show that the nonnegativity conjecture in the Fomin–Kirillov algebra implies the nonnegativity of the Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson classes for Schubert cells in flag manifolds for type A. Motivated by this connection, we also prove that the (equivariant) Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson classes for Schubert cells in flag manifolds are certain summations of the structure constants of the equivariant cohomology of Bott–Samelson varieties. We also discuss refined positivity conjectures of the Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson classes for Schubert cells motivated by the nonnegativity conjecture in the Fomin–Kirillov algebra.     

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.