Peterson varieties are subvarieties of flag varieties and their (equivariant) cohomology rings are given by Fukukawa-Harada-Masuda in type A and soon later the author with Harada and Masuda gives an explicit presentation of the (equivariant) cohomology rings of Peterson varieties for arbitrary Lie types. In this note we study the (equivariant) cohomology ring of the intersections of Peterson variety with Schubert, opposite Schubert, and Richardson varieties in more general. By the work of Goldin-Mihalcea-Singh, the intersections of Peterson variety with Schubert varieties are naturally identified with smaller Peterson varieties, so the problem reduces to the problem for opposite Schubert intersections. In this note we provide a technical statement for (equivariant) cohomology ring of a subvariety with some conditions of Peterson variety. By using the statement, we calculate the (equivariant) cohomology rings for some intersections of Peterson varieties with opposite Schubert varieties in type A. We also explicitly present the (equivariant) cohomology rings for some intersections of Peterson varieties with Richardson varieties in type A.
This paper describes a paving by affines for regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties in all Lie types, namely a kind of cell decomposition that can be used to compute homology despite its weak closure conditions. Precup recently proved a stronger result; we include ours because we use different methods. We then use this paving to prove that the homology of the Peterson variety injects into the homology of the full flag variety. The proof uses intersection theory and expands the class of the Peterson variety in the homology of the flag variety in terms of the basis of Schubert classes. We explic…
The main result of this note is an efficient presentation of the $S^1$-equivariant cohomology ring of Peterson varieties (in type $A$) as a quotient of a polynomial ring by an ideal $\mathcal{J}$, in the spirit of the well-known Borel presentation of the cohomology of the flag variety. Our result simplifies previous presentations given by Harada-Tymoczko and Bayegan-Harada. In particular, our result gives an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Bayegan and Harada that the defining ideal $\mathcal{J}$ is generated by quadratics.
The main result of this note is a Giambelli formula for the Peterson Schubert classes in the $S^1$-equivariant cohomology ring of a type $A$ Peterson variety. Our results depend on the Monk formula for the equivariant structure constants for the Peterson Schubert classes derived by Harada and Tymoczko. In addition, we give proofs of two facts observed by H. Naruse: firstly, that some constants which appear in the multiplicative structure of the $S^1$-equivariant cohomology of Peterson varieties are Stirling numbers of the second kind, and secondly, that the Peterson Schubert classes satisfy a …
Let G be a complex semisimple linear algebraic group and let Pet be the associated Peterson variety in the flag variety G/B. The main theorem of this note gives an efficient presentation of the equivariant cohomology ring H^*_S(Pet) of the Peterson variety as a quotient of a polynomial ring by an ideal J generated by quadratic polynomials, in the spirit of the Borel presentation of the cohomology of the flag variety. Here the group S \cong \mathbb{C}^* is a certain subgroup of a maximal torus T of G. Our description of the ideal J uses the Cartan matrix and is uniform across Lie types. In our …
Peterson varieties are a special class of Hessenberg varieties that have been extensively studied e.g. by Peterson, Kostant, and Rietsch, in connection with the quantum cohomology of the flag variety. In this manuscript, we develop a generalized Schubert calculus, and in particular a positive Chevalley-Monk formula, for the ordinary and Borel-equivariant cohomology of the Peterson variety $Y$ in type $A_{n-1}$, with respect to a natural $S^1$-action arising from the standard action of the maximal torus on flag varieties. As far as we know, this is the first example of positive Schubert calculu…
For every $n\ge 0$, we construct classes in the Brown-Peterson cohomology $BP\langle n \rangle$ of smooth projective complex algebraic varieties which are not in the image of the cycle map from the corresponding motivic Brown-Peterson cohomology. This generalizes the examples of Atiyah and Hirzebruch to all finite levels in the Brown-Peterson tower.
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 projectivized tangent cones are Cohen-Macaulay, and that their h-polynomials are nonnegative and up…
Richardson varieties play an important role in intersection theory and in the geometric interpretation of the Littlewood-Richardson Rule for flag varieties. We discuss three natural generalizations of Richardson varieties which we call projection varieties, intersection varieties, and rank varieties. In many ways, these varieties are more fundamental than Richardson varieties and are more easily amenable to inductive geometric constructions. In this paper, we study the singularities of each type of generalization. Like Richardson varieties, projection varieties are normal with rational singula…
A Richardson variety in a flag variety is an intersection of two Schubert varieties defined by transverse flags. We define and study relative Richardson varieties, which are defined over a base scheme with a vector bundle and two flags. To do so, we generalize transversality of flags to a relative notion, versality, that allows the flags to be non-transverse over some fibers. Relative Richardson varieties share many of the geometric properties of Richardson varieties. We generalize several geometric and cohomological facts about Richardson varieties to relative Richardson varieties. We also pr…
We give a short proof that essentially all questions concerning singularities of Richardson varieties reduce to corresponding questions about Schubert varieties. Consequently, we quickly deduce some new and previously known results.
Let G be a semi-simple algebraic group over ${\mathbb C}$, B a Borel subgroup of G and T a maximal torus in B. A beautiful unpublished result of Dale Peterson says that if G is simply laced, then every rationally smooth point of a Schubert variety X in G/B is nonsingular in X. The purpose of this paper is to generalize this result to arbitrary T-stable subvarieties of G/B, the only restriction being that G contains no $G_2$ factors. In particular, we show that a Schubert variety X in such a G/B is nonsingular if and only if all the reduced tangent cones of X are linear.
The Peterson comparison formula proved by Woodward relates the three-pointed Gromov-Witten invariants for the quantum cohomology of partial flag varieties to those for the complete flag. Another such comparison can be obtained by composing a combinatorial version of the Peterson isomorphism with a result of Lapointe and Morse relating quantum Littlewood-Richardson coefficients for the Grassmannian to k-Schur analogs in the homology of the affine Grassmannian obtained by adding rim hooks. We show that these comparisons on quantum cohomology are equivalent, up to Postnikov's strange duality isom…
We study standard monomial bases for Richardson varieties inside the flag variety. In general, writing down a standard monomial basis for a Richardson variety can be challenging, as it involves computing so-called defining chains or key tableaux. However, for a certain family of Richardson varieties, indexed by compatible permutations, we provide a very direct and straightforward combinatorial rule for writing down a standard monomial basis. We apply this result to the study of toric degenerations of Richardson varieties. In particular, we provide a new family of toric degenerations of Richard…
We associate a complete non-singular fan with a polygon triangulation. Such a fan appears from a certain toric Richardson variety, called of Catalan type introduced in this paper. A toric Richardson variety of Catalan type is a Fano Bott manifold. We show that toric Richardson varieties of Catalan type are classified up to isomorphism in terms of unordered binary trees. In particular, the number of isomorphism classes of $n$-dimensional toric Richardson varieties of Catalan type is the $(n+1)$th Wedderburn--Etherington number.
For any simple, simply connected algebraic group $G$ of type $B,C$ and $D$ and for any maximal parabolic subgroup $P$ of $G$, we provide a criterion for a Richardson variety in $G/P$ to admit semistable points for the action of a maximal torus $T$ with respect to an ample line bundle on $G/P$.
We study toric degenerations of opposite Schubert and Richardson varieties inside degenerations of Grassmannians and flag varieties. These degenerations are parametrized by matching fields in the sense of Sturmfels and Zelevinsky. We construct so-called restricted matching field ideals whose generating sets are understood combinatorially through tableaux. We determine when these ideals are toric and coincide with Gröbner degenerations of Richardson varieties using the well established standard monomial theory for Grassmannians and flag varieties.
Let $G$ be a complex quasi-simple algebraic group and $G/P$ be a partial flag variety. The projections of Richardson varieties from the full flag variety form a stratification of $G/P$. We show that the closure partial order of projected Richardson varieties agrees with that of a subset of Schubert varieties in the affine flag variety of $G$. Furthermore, we compare the torus-equivariant cohomology and $K$-theory classes of these two stratifications by pushing or pulling these classes to the affine Grassmannian. Our work generalizes results of Knutson, Lam, and Speyer for the Grassmannian of t…
We prove that the divisor class group of any open Richardson variety in the Grassmannian is trivial. Our proof uses Nagata's criterion, localizing the coordinate ring at a suitable set of Plücker coordinates. We prove that these Plücker coordinates are prime elements by showing that the subscheme they define is an open subscheme of a positroid variety. Our results hold over any field and over the integers.
This paper aims to focus on Richardson varieties on symplectic groups, especially their combinatorial characterization and defining equations. Schubert varieties and opposite Schubert varieties have profound significance in the study of generalized flag varieties which are not only research objects in algebraic geometry but also ones in representation theory. A more general research object is Richardson variety, which is obtained by the intersection of a Schubert variety and an opposite Schubert variety. The structure of Richardson variety on Grassmannian and its combinatorial characterization…
We compute the fundamental group of an open Richardson variety in the manifold of complete flags that corresponds to a partial flag manifold. Rietsch showed that these log Calabi-Yau varieties underlie a Landau-Ginzburg mirror for the Langlands dual partial flag manifold, and our computation verifies a prediction of Hori for this mirror. It is log Calabi-Yau as it isomorphic to the complement of the Knutson-Lam-Speyer anti-canonical divisor for the partial flag manifold. We also determine explicit defining equations for this divisor.
While the projections of Schubert varieties in a full generalized flag manifold G/B to a partial flag manifold $G/P$ are again Schubert varieties, the projections of Richardson varieties (intersections of Schubert varieties with opposite Schubert varieties) are not always Richardson varieties. The stratification of G/P by projections of Richardson varieties arises in the theory of total positivity and also from Poisson and noncommutative geometry. In this paper we show that many of the geometric properties of Richardson varieties hold more generally for projected Richardson varieties; they are…
We prove that, defined with respect to versal flags, the product of two relative Bott-Samelson varieties over the flag bundle is a resolution of singularities of a relative Richardson variety. This result generalizes Brion's resolution of singularities of Richardson varieties to the relative setting. It reflects the phenomenon that the local geometry of a relative Richardson variety is completely governed by the two intersecting relative Schubert varieties, studied by Chan-Pflueger. We also prove an analogous theorem in the case of relative Grassmannian Richardson varieties, thereby furnishing…
We construct the twist automorphism of open Richardson varieties inside the flag variety of a complex semisimple algebraic group. We show that the twist map preserves totally positive parts, and prove a Chamber Ansatz formula for it. Our twist map generalizes the twist maps previously constructed by Berenstein-Fomin-Zelevinsky, Marsh-Scott, and Muller-Speyer. We use it to explain the relationship between the two conjectural cluster structures for Richardson varieties studied by Leclerc and by Ingermanson.
In the sl\_n case, A. Berenstein and A. Zelevinsky studied the Schützenberger involution in terms of Lusztig's canonical basis, [3]. We generalize their construction and formulas for any semisimple Lie algebra. We use for this the geometric lifting of the canonical basis, on which an analogue of the Schützenberger involution can be given. As an application, we construct semitoric degenerations of Richardson varieties, following a method of P. Caldero, [6]
We generalize Standard Monomial Theory (SMT) to intersections of Schubert varieties and opposite Schubert varieties; such varieties are called Richardson varieties. The aim of this article is to get closer to a geometric interpretation of the standard monomial theory. Our methods show that in order to develop a SMT for a certain class of subvarieties in G/B (which includes G/B), it suffices to have the following three ingredients, a basis for the space of sections of an effective line bundle on G/B, compatibility of such a basis with the varieties in the class, certain quadratic relations in t…
Let $k$ and $n$ be positive coprime integers with $k<n$. Let $T$ denote the subgroup of diagonal matrices in $SL(n,\mathbb{C})$. We study the GIT quotient of Richardson varieties $X^v_w$ in the Grassmannian $\mathrm{Gr}_{k,n}$ by $T$ with respect to a $T$-linearised line bundle $\cal{L}$ corresponding to the Plücker embedding. We give necessary and sufficient combinatorial conditions for the quotient variety $T \backslash\mkern-6mu\backslash (X_w^v)^{ss}_T({\cal L})$ to be smooth.
Peterson varieties are special nilpotent Hessenberg varieties that have appeared in the study of quantum cohomology, representation theory, and combinatorics. In type $A$, the Peterson variety $Y$ is a subvariety of the complete flag variety $Fl(n; \mathbb C)$, and is invariant under the action of a subgroup $S\cong \mathbb C^*$ of $T$, where $T$ is the standard (noncompact) torus acting on $Fl(n; \mathbb C)$. Using the Peterson Schubert basis introduced by Harada and Tymoczko obtained by restricting a specific set of Schubert classes from $H_T^*(Fl(n; \mathbb C))$ to $H_S^*(Y)$, we describe t…
We consider a desingularization Gamma of a Richardson variety X_w^v=X_w \cap X^v in the flag variety Fl(n)=GL(n)/B, obtained as a fibre of a projection from a certain Bott-Samelson variety Z. We then construct a basis of the homogeneous coordinate ring of Gamma inside Z, indexed by combinatorial objects which we call w_0-standard tableaux.
We study the GIT quotient of the minimal Schubert variety in the Grassmannian admitting semistable points for the action of maximal torus $T$, with respect to the $T$-linearized line bundle ${\cal L}(n ω_r)$ and show that this is smooth when $gcd(r,n)=1$. When $n=7$ and $r=3$ we study the GIT quotients of all Richardson varieties in the minimal Schubert variety. This builds on previous work by Kumar \cite{kumar2008descent}, Kannan and Sardar \cite{kannan2009torusA}, Kannan and Pattanayak \cite{kannan2009torusB}, and recent work of Kannan et al \cite{kannan2018torus}. It is known that the GIT q…
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 an explicit Grobner basis for the ideal of the tangent cone at any T-fixed point of a Richardson variety in the Grassmannian, thus generalizing a result of Kodiyalam-Raghavan and Kreiman-Lakshmibai. Our proof is based on a generalization of the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth (RSK) correspondence, which we call the bounded RSK (BRSK). We use the Grobner basis result to deduce a formula which computes the multiplicity of the Richardson variety at any T-fixed point by counting families of nonintersecting lattice paths, thus generalizing a result first proved by Krattehthaler.
In his 1951 book "Infinite Abelian Groups", Kaplansky gives a combinatorial characterization of the isomorphism types of embeddings of a cyclic subgroup in a finite abelian group. In this paper we first use partial maps on Littlewood-Richardson tableaux to generalize this result to finite direct sums of such embeddings. We then focus on an application to invariant subspaces of nilpotent linear operators. We develop a criterion to decide if two irreducible components in the representation space are in the boundary partial order.
A Richardson variety $X_\ga^\gc$ in the Orthogonal Grassmannian is defined to be the intersection of a Schubert variety $X^\gc$ in the Orthogonal Grassmannian and a opposite Schubert variety $X_\ga$ therein. We give an explicit description of the initial ideal (with respect to certain conveniently chosen term order) for the ideal of the tangent cone at any $T$-fixed point of $X_\ga^\gc$, thus generalizing a result of Raghavan-Upadhyay \cite{Ra-Up2}. Our proof is based on a generalization of the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth (RSK) correspondence, which we call the Orthogonal bounded RSK (OBRSK). The…
We observe that the expansion in the basis of Schubert cycles for $H^*(G/B)$ of the class of a Richardson variety stable under a spherical Levi subgroup is described by a theorem of Brion. Using this observation, along with a combinatorial model of the poset of certain symmetric subgroup orbit closures, we give positive combinatorial descriptions of certain Schubert structure constants on the full flag variety in type $A$. Namely, we describe $c_{u,v}^w$ when $u$ and $v$ are inverse to Grassmannian permutations with unique descents at $p$ and $q$, respectively. We offer some conjectures for si…
Let G be a connected reductive group and X an equivariant compactifiction of G. In X, we study generalised and opposite generalised Schubert varieties, their intersections called generalised Richardson varieties and projected generalised Richardson varieties. Any complete G-embedding has a canonical Frobenius splitting and we prove that the compatibly split subvarieties are the generalised projected Richardson varieties extending a result of Knutson, Lam and Speyer to the situation.
Let $X^v_w$ be a Richardson variety in the full flag variety $X$ associated to a symmetrizable Kac-Moody group $G$. Recall that $X^v_w$ is the intersection of the finite dimensional Schubert variety $X_w$ with the finite codimensional opposite Schubert variety $X^v$. We give an explicit $\bQ$-divisor $Δ$ on $X^v_w$ and prove that the pair $(X^v_w, Δ)$ has Kawamata log terminal singularities. In fact, $-K_{X^v_w} - Δ$ is ample, which additionally proves that $(X^v_w, Δ)$ is log Fano. We first give a proof of our result in the finite case (i.e., in the case when $G$ is a finite dimensional semis…
