Given a rational homogeneous manifold $S=G/P$ of Picard number one and a Schubert variety $S_0 $ of $S$, the pair $(S,S_0)$ is said to be homologically rigid if any subvariety of $S$ having the same homology class as $S_0$ must be a translate of $S_0$ by the automorphism group of $S$. The pair $(S,S_0)$ is said to be Schur rigid if any subvariety of $ S$ with homology class equal to a multiple of the homology class of $S_0$ must be a sum of translates of $S_0$. Earlier we completely determined homologically rigid pairs $(S,S_0)$ in case $S_0 $ is homogeneous and answered the same question in smooth non-homogeneous cases. In this article we consider Schur rigidity, proving that $(S,S_0)$ exhibits Schur rigidity whenever $S_0$ is a non-linear smooth Schubert variety.
The polynomial ring $B$ in infinitely many indeterminates $(x_1,x_2,\ldots)$, with rational coefficients, has a vector space basis of Schur polynomials, parametrized by partitions. The goal of this note is to provide an explanation of the following fact. If $\blamb$ is a partition of weight $d$, then the partial derivative of order $d$ with respect to $x_1$ of the Schur polynomial $S_\blamb(\bfx)$ coincides with the Plücker degree of the Schubert variety of dimension $d$ associated to $\blamb$, equal to the number of standard Young tableaux of shape $\blamb$. The generating function encoding a…
Smooth Schubert varieties in rational homogeneous manifolds of Picard number 1 are horospherical varieties. We characterize standard embeddings of smooth Schubert varieties in rational homogeneous manifolds of Picard number 1 by means of varieties of minimal rational tangents. In particular, we mainly consider nonhomogeneous smooth Schubert varieties in symplectic Grassmannians and in the 20-dimensional $F_4$-homogeneous manifold associated to a short simple root.
We use Bott-Samelson resolutions of Schubert varieties in Grassmannians along with equiariant localization techniques to show that the factorial Schur functions and the factorial Grothendieck polynomials represent Schubert classes in equivariant cohomology and equivariant K-theory respectively.
We suggest the point of view that the Schubert classes of the affine Grassmannian of a simple algebraic group should be considered as Schur-positive symmetric functions. In particular, we give a geometric explanation of the Schur positivity of k-Schur functions (at t = 1). We also put this in the context of the theory of combinatorial Hopf algebras.
We show that Lapointe-Lascoux-Morse k-Schur functions (at t=1) and Fomin-Gelfand-Postnikov quantum Schubert polynomials can be obtained from each other by a rational substitution. This is based upon Kostant's solution of the Toda lattice and Peterson's work on quantum Schubert calculus.
Let X=G/P be cominuscule rational homogeneous variety. (Equivalently, X admits the structure of a compact Hermitian symmetric space.) We say a Schubert class [S] is Schur rigid if the only irreducible subvarieties Y of X with homology class [Y] = r [S], for an integer r, are Schubert varieties. Robles and The identified a sufficient condition for a Schubert class to be Schur rigid. In this paper we show that the condition is also necessary.
The main purpose of this paper is to show that the multiplication of a Schubert polynomial of finite type $A$ by a Schur function, which we refer to as Schubert vs. Schur problem, can be understood from the multiplication in the space of dual $k$-Schur functions. Using earlier work by the second author, we encode both problems by means of quasisymmetric functions. On the Schubert vs. Schur side, we study the poset given by the Bergeron-Sottile's $r$-Bruhat order, along with certain operators associated to this order. On the other side, we connect this poset with a graph on dual $k$-Schur funct…
We show that the k-double Schur functions defined by the authors, and the quantum double Schubert polynomials studied by Kirillov and Maeno and by Ciocan-Fontanine and Fulton, can be obtained from each other by an explicit rational substitution. The main new ingredient is an explicit computation of Kostant's solution to the Toda lattice in terms of equivariant Schubert classes.
This book is an exposition of the current state of research of affine Schubert calculus and $k$-Schur functions. This text is based on a series of lectures given at a workshop titled "Affine Schubert Calculus" that took place in July 2010 at the Fields Institute in Toronto, Ontario. The story of this research is told in three parts: 1. Primer on $k$-Schur Functions 2. Stanley symmetric functions and Peterson algebras 3. Affine Schubert calculus
We find presentations by generators and relations for the equivariant quantum cohomology rings of the maximal isotropic Grassmannians of types B,C and D, and we find polynomial representatives for the Schubert classes in these rings. These representatives are given in terms of the same Pfaffian formulas which appear in the theory of factorial $P$- and $Q$-Schur functions. After specializing to equivariant cohomology, we interpret the resulting presentations and Pfaffian formulas in terms of Chern classes of tautological bundles.
Confirming a conjecture of Mark Shimozono, we identify polynomial representatives for the Schubert classes of the affine Grassmannian as the k-Schur functions in homology and affine Schur functions in cohomology. Our results rely on Kostant and Kumar's nilHecke ring, work of Peterson on the homology of based loops on a compact group, and earlier work of ours on non-commutative k-Schur functions.
The Murnaghan-Nakayama rule expresses the product of a Schur function with a Newton power sum in the basis of Schur functions. We establish a version of the Murnaghan-Nakayama rule for Schubert polynomials and a version for the quantum cohomology ring of the Grassmannian. These rules compute all intersections of Schubert cycles with tautological classes coming from the Chern character.
Let X be a minuscule Schubert variety and $α$ a class of 1-cycle on X. In this article we describe the irreducible components of the scheme of morphisms of class $α$ from a rational curve to X. The irreducible components are described in the following way : the class $α$ can be seen as an element of $Pic(X)^*$ the dual of the Picard group. Because any Weil-divisor need not to be a Cartier-divisor, there is (only) a surjective map $s:A^1(X)^*\to Pic(X)^*$ from the dual of the group of codimension 1 cycles to the dual of the Picard group. The irreducible components are given by the effective ele…
Ikeda-Mihalcea-Naruse's double Schubert polynomials represent the equivariant cohomology classes of Schubert varieties in the type C flag varieties. The goal of this paper is to obtain a new tableau formula of these polynomials associated to vexillary signed permutations introduced by Anderson-Fulton. To achieve that goal, we introduce flagged factorial (Schur) $Q$-functions, combinatorially defined in terms of (flagged) marked shifted tableaux for flagged strict partitions, and prove their Schur-Pfaffian formula. As an application, we also obtain a new combinatorial formula of factorial $Q$-f…
We apply crystal theory to affine Schubert calculus, Gromov-Witten invariants for the complete flag manifold, and the positroid stratification of the positive Grassmannian. We introduce operators on decompositions of elements in the type-$A$ affine Weyl group and produce a crystal reflecting the internal structure of the generalized Young modules whose Frobenius image is represented by stable Schubert polynomials. We apply the crystal framework to products of a Schur function with a $k$-Schur function, consequently proving that a subclass of 3-point Gromov-Witten invariants of complete flag va…
This article presents a formula for products of Schubert classes in the quantum cohomology ring of the Grassmannian. We introduce a generalization of Schur symmetric polynomials for shapes that are naturally embedded in a torus. Then we show that the coefficients in the expansion of these toric Schur polynomials, in terms of the regular Schur polynomials, are exactly the 3-point Gromov-Witten invariants; which are the structure constants of the quantum cohomology ring. This construction implies that the Gromov-Witten invariants of the Grassmannian are invariant with respect to the action of a …
The Schubert bases of the torus-equivariant homology and cohomology rings of the affine Grassmannian of the special linear group are realized by new families of symmetric functions called k-double Schur functions and affine double Schur functions.
We give formulas for the products of classes of Schubert varieties in the quantum cohomology rings of Grassmannians, in terms of the combinatorics of partitions and tableaux.
We construct the Schubert basis of the torus-equivariant K-homology of the affine Grassmannian of a simple algebraic group G, using the K-theoretic NilHecke ring of Kostant and Kumar. This is the K-theoretic analogue of a construction of Peterson in equivariant homology. For the case G = SL_n, the K-homology of the affine Grassmannian is identified with a sub-Hopf algebra of the ring of symmetric functions. The Schubert basis is represented by inhomogeneous symmetric functions, called K-k-Schur functions, whose highest degree term is a k-Schur function. The dual basis in K-cohomology is given …
We consider smooth complete intersection Calabi-Yau 3-folds in minuscule Schubert varieties, and study their mirror symmetry by degenerating the ambient Schubert varieties to Hibi toric varieties. We list all possible Calabi-Yau 3-folds of this type up to deformation equivalences, and find a new example of smooth Calabi-Yau 3-folds of Picard number one; a complete intersection in a locally factorial Schubert variety ${\boldsymbolΣ}$ of the Cayley plane ${\mathbb{OP}}^2$. We calculate topological invariants and BPS numbers of this Calabi-Yau 3-fold and conjecture that it has a non-trivial Fouri…
These are extended notes of a talk given at Maurice Auslander Distinguished Lectures and International Conference (Woods Hole, MA) in April 2013. Their aim is to give an introduction into Schubert calculus on Grassmannians and flag varieties. We discuss various aspects of Schubert calculus, such as applications to enumerative geometry, structure of the cohomology rings of Grassmannians and flag varieties, Schur and Schubert polynomials. We conclude with a survey of results of V.Kiritchenko, V.Timorin and the author on a new approach to Schubert calculus on full flag varieties via combinatorics…
Levi subgroup actions on Schubert varieties are studied. In the case of partial flag varieties, the horospherical actions are determined. This leads to a characterization of the toroidal and horospherical partial flag varieties with Picard number 1. In the more general case, we provide a set of necessary conditions for the action of a Levi subgroup on a Schubert variety to be toroidal. The singular locus of a (co)minuscule Schubert variety is shown to contain all the $L_{max}$-stable Schubert subvarieties, where $L_{max}$ is the standard Levi subgroup of the maximal parabolic which acts on the…
The Schubert polynomials lift the Schur basis of symmetric polynomials into a basis for Z[x1,x2,...]. We suggest the "prism tableau model" for these polynomials. A novel aspect of this alternative to earlier results is that it directly invokes semistandard tableaux; it does so as part of a colored tableau amalgam. In the Grassmannian case, a prism tableau with colors ignored is a semistandard Young tableau. Our arguments are developed from the Groebner geometry of matrix Schubert varieties.
We study the Schubert calculus of the affine Grassmannian Gr of the symplectic group. The integral homology and cohomology rings of Gr are identified with dual Hopf algebras of symmetric functions, defined in terms of Schur's P and Q-functions. An explicit combinatorial description is obtained for the Schubert basis of the cohomology of Gr, and this is extended to a definition of the affine type C Stanley symmetric functions. A homology Pieri rule is also given for the product of a special Schubert class with an arbitrary one.
For a semisimple adjoint algebraic group $G$ and a Borel subgroup $B$, consider the double classes $BwB$ in $G$ and their closures in the canonical compactification of $G$: we call these closures large Schubert varieties. We show that these varieties are normal and Cohen-Macaulay; we describe their Picard group and the spaces of sections of their line bundles. As an application, we construct geometrically van der Kallen's filtration of the algebra of regular functions on $B$. We also construct a degeneration of the flag variety $G/B$ embedded diagonally in $G/B\times G/B$, into a union of Schu…
We construct the affine version of the Fomin-Kirillov algebra, called the affine FK algebra, to investigate the combinatorics of affine Schubert calculus for type $A$. We introduce Murnaghan-Nakayama elements and Dunkl elements in the affine FK algebra. We show that they are commutative as Bruhat operators, and the commutative algebra generated by these operators is isomorphic to the cohomology of the affine flag variety. We show that the cohomology of the affine flag variety is product of the cohomology of an affine Grassmannian and a flag variety, which are generated by MN elements and Dunkl…
We present an improved algorithm for the computation of Zariski chambers on algebraic surfaces. The new algorithm significantly outperforms the so far available method and allows therefore to treat surfaces of high Picard number, where huge chamber numbers occur. As an application, we efficiently compute the number of chambers supported by the lines on the Segre-Schur quartic.
Let $X$, $Y$ be Fano threefolds of Picard number one and such that the ample generators of Picard groups are very ample. Let $X$ be of index one and $Y$ be of index two. It is shown that the only morphisms from $X$ to $Y$ are double coverings. In fact nearly the whole paper is the analysis of the case where $Y$ is the linear section of the Grassmannian G(1,4), since the other cases were more or less solved in another article. This remaining case is treated with the help of Debarre's connectedness theorem for inverse images of Schubert cycles.
We show the equivalence of the Pieri formula for flag manifolds and certain identities among the structure constants, giving new proofs of both the Pieri formula and of these identities. A key step is the association of a symmetric function to a finite poset with labeled Hasse diagram satisfying a symmetry condition. This gives a unified definition of skew Schur functions, Stanley symmetric function, and skew Schubert functions (defined here). We also use algebraic geometry to show the coefficient of a monomial in a Schubert polynomial counts certain chains in the Bruhat order, obtaining a new…
We study a family of polynomials whose values express degrees of Schubert varieties in the generalized complex flag manifold G/B. The polynomials are given by weighted sums over saturated chains in the Bruhat order. We derive several explicit formulas for these polynomials, and investigate their relations with Schubert polynomials, harmonic polynomials, Demazure characters, and generalized Littlewood-Richardson coefficients. In the second half of the paper, we concern with the case of to the classical flag manifold of Lie type A and discuss related combinatorial objects: flagged Schur polynomi…
A prism tableau is a set of reverse semistandard tableaux, each positioned within an ambient grid. Prism tableaux were introduced to provide a formula for the Schubert polynomials of A. Lascoux and M.P. Schützenberger. This formula directly generalizes the well known expression for Schur polynomials as a sum over semistandard tableaux. Alternating sign matrix varieties generalize the matrix Schubert varieties of W. Fulton. We use prism tableaux to give a formula for the multidegree of an alternating sign matrix variety.
In our joint paper with W. Fulton (math.AG/9804041) we prove a formula for the cohomology class of a quiver variety. This formula is general enough to give new expressions for all known types of Schubert polynomials. In the present paper we discuss the relationship between this formula and Stanley symmetric functions. We show that the coefficients obtained when a Stanley symmetric function is expressed in the basis of Schur functions are special cases of a class of generalized Littlewood-Richardson coefficients appearing in the formula for quiver varieties. We also prove that Fulton's universa…
The Richardson variety $X_w^v$ is defined to be the intersection of the Schubert variety $X_w$ and the opposite Schubert variety $X^v$. For $X_w^v$ in the Grassmannian, we obtain a standard monomial basis for the homogeneous coordinate ring of $X_w^v$. We use this basis first to prove the vanishing of $H^i(X_w^v,L^m)$, $i > 0 $, $m \geq 0$, where $L$ is the restriction to $X_w^v$ of the ample generator of the Picard group of the Grassmannian; then to determine a basis for the tangent space and a criterion for smoothness for $X_w^v$ at any $T$-fixed point $e_\t$; and finally to derive a recursi…
We give a new construction of the Bott-Samelson variety $Z$ as the closure of a $B$-orbit in a product of flag varieties $(G/B)^l$. This also gives an embedding of the projective coordinate ring of the variety into the function ring of a Borel subgroup: $\CC[Z] \subset \CC[B]$. In the case of the general linear group $G = GL(n)$, this identifies $Z$ as a configuration variety of multiple flags subject to certain inclusion conditions, closely related to the the matrix factorizations of Berenstein, Fomin and Zelevinsky. As an application, we give a geometric proof of the theorem of Kraskiewicz a…
The Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson class (CSM) and the Segre-Schwartz-MacPherson class (SSM) are deformations of the fundamental class of an algebraic variety. They encode finer enumerative invariants of the variety than its fundamental class. In this paper we offer three contributions to the theory of equivariant CSM/SSM classes. First, we prove an interpolation characterization for CSM classes of certain representations. This method---inspired by recent works of Maulik-Okounkov and Gorbounov-Rimanyi-Tarasov-Varchenko---does not require a resolution of singularities and often produces explicit (no…
We consider the conormal bundle of a Schubert variety $S_I$ in the cotangent bundle $T^* Gr$ of the Grassmannian $Gr$ of $k$-planes in $C^n$. This conormal bundle has a fundamental class ${κ_I}$ in the equivariant cohomology $H^*_{T}(T^* Gr)$. Here $T=(C^*)^n\times C^*$. The torus $(C^*)^n$ acts on $T^* Gr$ in the standard way and the last factor $C^*$ acts by multiplication on fibers of the bundle. We express this fundamental class as a sum $Y_I$ of the Yangian $Y(gl_2)$ weight functions $(W_J)_J$. We describe a relation of $Y_I$ with the double Schur polynomial $[S_I]$. A modified version of…
The goal of the paper is two-fold. At first, we attempt to give a survey of some recent applications of symmetric polynomials and divided differences to intersection theory. We discuss: polynomials universally supported on degeneracy loci; some explicit formulas for the Chern and Segre classes of Schur bundles with applications to enumerative geometry; flag degeneracy loci; fundamental classes, diagonals and Gysin maps; intersection rings of G/P and formulas for isotropic degeneracy loci; numerically positive polynomials for ample vector bundles. Apart of surveyed results, the paper contains a…
Jun-Muk Hwang and Ngaiming Mok have proved the rigidity of irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of compact type under Kaehler degeneration. I adapt their argument to the algebraic setting in positive characteristic, where cominuscule homogeneous varieties serve as an analogue of Hermitian symmetric spaces. The main result gives an explicit (computable in terms of Schubert calculus) lower bound on the characteristic of the base field, guaranteeing that a smooth projective family with cominuscule homogeneous generic fibre is isotrivial. The bound depends only on the type of the generic fibre, …
We consider compactifications of the space of triples of distinct points in projective $n$-space. One such space is a singular variety of configurations of points and lines; another is the smooth compactification of Fulton and MacPherson; and a third is the triangle space of Schubert and Semple. We compute the sections of line bundles on these spaces, and show that they are equal as GL(n) representations to the generalized Schur modules associated to ``bad'' generalized Young diagrams with three rows (Borel-Weil theorem). On the one hand, this yields Weyl-type character and dimension formulas …
In this paper a formula is proved for the general degeneracy locus associated to an oriented quiver of type A_n. Given a finite sequence of vector bundles with maps between them, these loci are described by putting rank conditions on arbitrary composites of the maps. Our answer is a polynomial in Chern classes of the bundles involved, depending on the given rank conditions. It can be expressed as a linear combination of products of Schur polynomials in the differences of the bundles. The coefficients are interesting generalizations of Littlewood-Richardson numbers. These polynomials specialize…
The complex orthogonal and symplectic groups both act on the complete flag variety with finitely many orbits. We study two families of polynomials introduced by Wyser and Yong representing the $K$-theory classes of the closures of these orbits. Our polynomials are analogous to the Grothendieck polynomials representing $K$-classes of Schubert varieties, and we show that like Grothendieck polynomials, they are uniquely characterized among all polynomials representing the relevant classes by a certain stability property. We show that the same polynomials represent the equivariant $K$-classes of s…
To each finite subset of $\mathbb{Z}^2$ (a diagram), one can associate a subvariety of a complex Grassmannian (a diagram variety), and a representation of a symmetric group (a Specht module). Liu has conjectured that the cohomology class of a diagram variety is represented by the Frobenius characteristic of the corresponding Specht module. We give a counterexample to this conjecture. However, we show that for the diagram variety of a permutation diagram, Liu's conjectured cohomology class $σ$ is at least an upper bound on the actual class $τ$, in the sense that $σ- τ$ is a nonnegative linear c…
Let $G/P$ be a rational homogeneous space (not necessarily irreducible) and $x_0\in G/P$ be the point at which the isotropy group is $P$. The $G$-translates of the orbit $Qx_0$ of a parabolic subgroup $Q\subsetneq G$ such that $P\cap Q$ is parabolic are called $Q$-cycles. We established an extension theorem for local biholomorphisms on $G/P$ that map local pieces of $Q$-cycles into $Q$-cycles. We showed that such maps extend to global biholomorphisms of $G/P$ if $G/P$ is $Q$-cycle-connected, or equivalently, if there does not exist a non-trivial parabolic subgroup containing $P$ and $Q$. Then …
There are two intriguing statements regarding the quantum cohomology of partial flag varieties. The first one relates quantum cohomology to the affinisation of Lie algebras and the homology of the affine Grassmannian, the second one connects it with the geometry of quiver varieties. The connection with the affine Grassmannian was first discussed in unpublished work of Peterson and subsequently proved by Lam and Shimozono. The second development is based on recent works of Nekrasov, Shatashvili and of Maulik, Okounkov relating the quantum cohomology of Nakajima varieties with integrable systems…
