Equivariant Schubert calculus

We describe T-equivariant Schubert calculus on G(k,n), T being an n-dimensional torus, through derivations on the exterior algebra of a free A-module of rank n, where A is the T-equivariant cohomology of a point. In particular, T-equivariant Pieri’s formulas will be determined, answering a question raised by Lakshmibai, Raghavan and Sankaran (Equivariant Giambelli and determinantal restriction formulas for the Grassmannian, Pure Appl. Math. Quart. 2 (2006), 699–717).     

Equivariant quantum Schubert calculus

We study the T-equivariant quantum cohomology of the Grassmannian. We prove the vanishing of a certain class of equivariant quantum Littlewood-Richardson coefficients, which implies an equivariant quantum Pieri rule. As in the equivariant case, this implies an algorithm to compute the equivariant quantum Littlewood-Richardson coefficients.     

Noncommutative algebras related with Schubert calculus on Coxeter groups

For any finite Coxeter system (W,S) we construct a certain noncommutative algebra, the so-called bracket algebra, together with a family of commuting elements, the so-called Dunkl elements. The Dunkl elements conjecturally generate an algebra which is canonically isomorphic to the coinvariant algebra of the Coxeter group W. We prove this conjecture for classical Coxeter groups and I₂(m). We define a “quantization” and a multiparameter deformation of our construction and show that for Lie groups of classical type and G₂, the algebra generated by Dunkl’s elements in the quantized bracket algebra is canonically isomorphic to the small quantum cohomology ring of the corresponding flag variety, as described by B. Kim. For crystallographic Coxeter systems we define the so-called quantum Bruhat representation of the corresponding bracket algebra. We study in more detail the structure of the relations in B_n-, D_n- and G₂-bracket algebras, and as an application, discover a Pieri-type formula in the B_n-bracket algebra. As a corollary, we obtain a Pieri-type formula for multiplication of an arbitrary B_n-Schubert class by some special ones. Our Pieri-type formula is a generalization of Pieri’s formulas obtained by A. Lascoux and M.-P. Schützenberger for flag varieties of type A. We also introduce a super-version of the bracket algebra together with a family of pairwise anticommutative elements, the so-called flat connections with constant coefficients, which describes “a noncommutative differential geometry on a finite Coxeter group” in the sense of S. Majid.     

Equivariant quantum Schubert polynomials

We establish an equivariant quantum Giambelli formula for partial flag varieties. The answer is given in terms of a specialization of universal double Schubert polynomials. Along the way, we give new proofs of the presentation of the equivariant quantum cohomology ring, as well as Graham-positivity of the structure constants in equivariant quantum Schubert calculus.     

Chordal Coxeter groups

A solution of the isomorphism problem is presented for the class of Coxeter groups W that have a finite set of Coxeter generators S such that the underlying graph of the presentation diagram of the system (W,S) has the property that every cycle of length at least four has a chord. As an application, we construct counterexamples to two conjectures concerning the isomorphism problem for Coxeter groups.      

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.     

Rigidity of Coxeter groups

Let be a Coxeter group acting properly discontinuously and cocompactly on manifolds and such that the fixed point sets of finite subgroups are contractible. Let be a -homotopy equivalence which restricts to a -homeomorphism on the boundary. Under an assumption on the three dimensional fixed point sets, we show that then is -homotopic to a -homeomorphism.     

Rational functions and real Schubert calculus

We single out some problems of Schubert calculus of subspaces of codimension that have the property that all their solutions are real whenever the data are real. Our arguments explore the connection between subspaces of codimension and rational functions of one variable.

     

Degree bounds in quantum Schubert calculus

Fulton and Woodward have recently identified the smallest degree of that appears in the expansion of the product of two Schubert classes in the (small) quantum cohomology ring of a Grassmannian. We present a combinatorial proof of this result, and provide an alternative characterization of this smallest degree in terms of the rim hook formula for the quantum product.

     

Symmetric generation of Coxeter groups

We provide involutory symmetric generating sets of finitely generated Coxeter groups, fulfilling a suitable finiteness condition, which in particular is fulfilled in the finite, affine and compact hyperbolic cases.      

Affine Hecke algebras and the Schubert calculus

Using a combinatorial approach that avoids geometry, this paper studies the structure of K_T(G/B), the T-equivariant K-theory of the generalized flag variety G/B. This ring has a natural basis (the double Grothendieck polynomials), where is the structure sheaf of the Schubert variety X_w. For rank two cases we compute the corresponding structure constants of the ring K_T(G/B) and, based on this data, make a positivity conjecture for general G which generalizes the theorems of M. Brion (for K(G/B)) and W. Graham (for H_T^*(G/B)). Let [X^λ]K_T(G/B) be the class of the homogeneous line bundle on G/B corresponding to the character of T indexed by λ. For general G we prove “Pieri–Chevalley formulas” for the products , , , and , where λ is dominant. By using the Chern character and comparing lowest degree terms the products which are computed in this paper also give results for the Grothendieck polynomials, double Schubert polynomials, and ordinary Schubert polynomials in, respectively K(G/B), H_T^*(G/B) and H^*(G/B).     

Coxeter groups,Coxeter monoids and the Bruhat order

Associated with any Coxeter group is a Coxeter monoid, which has the same elements, and the same identity, but a different multiplication. (Some authors call these Coxeter monoids 0-Hecke monoids, because of their relation to the 0-Hecke algebras—the q=0 case of the Hecke algebra of a Coxeter group.) A Coxeter group is defined as a group having a particular presentation, but a pair of isomorphic groups could be obtained via non-isomorphic presentations of this form. We show that when we have both the group and the monoid structure, we can reconstruct the presentation uniquely up to isomorphism and present a characterisation of those finite group and monoid structures that occur as a Coxeter group and its corresponding Coxeter monoid. The Coxeter monoid structure is related to this Bruhat order. More precisely, multiplication in the Coxeter monoid corresponds to element-wise multiplication of principal downsets in the Bruhat order. Using this property and our characterisation of Coxeter groups among structures with a group and monoid operation, we derive a classification of Coxeter groups among all groups admitting a partial order.     

Reflection groups of geodesic spaces and Coxeter groups

H.S.M. Coxeter showed that a group Γ is a finite reflection group of an Euclidean space if and only if Γ is a finite Coxeter group. In this paper, we define reflections of geodesic spaces in general, and we prove that Γ is a cocompact discrete reflection group of some geodesic space if and only if Γ is a Coxeter group.     

Alternating subgroups of Coxeter groups

We study combinatorial properties of the alternating subgroup of a Coxeter group, using a presentation of it due to Bourbaki.     

Coxeter groups are virtually special

In this paper we prove that every finitely generated Coxeter group has a finite index subgroup that is the fundamental group of a special cube complex. Some consequences include: Every f.g. Coxeter group is virtually a subgroup of a right-angled Coxeter group. Every word-hyperbolic Coxeter group has separable quasiconvex subgroups.