We describe an algorithm for computing certain characteristic numbers of surface scrolls using degenerations. As a corollary we obtain a method for computing the corresponding Gromov-Witten invariants of Grassmannians.
In this paper we study degenerations of scrolls to union of planes, a problem already considered by G. Zappa in 1940-50. We prove, using techniques different from the ones of Zappa, a degeneration result to union of planes with the mildest possible singularities, for linearly normal scrolls of genus $g$ and of degree $d$ larger than $2g+4$ in $\Pp^{d-2g+1}$. We also study properties of components of the Hilbert scheme parametrizing scrolls. Finally we review Zappa's original approach.
We prove that, for m greater than 3 and k greater than m-2, the Grassmannian of m-dimensional subspaces of the space of skew-symmetric forms over a vector space of dimension 2k is birational to the Hilbert scheme of Palatini scrolls in P^(2k-1). For m=3 and k greater than 3, this Grassmannian is proved to be birational to the set of pairs (E,Y), where Y is a smooth plane curve of degree k and E is a stable rank-2 bundle on Y whose determinant is O(k-1).
We study degenerations of Grassmannians constructed using convex lattice configurations in Bruhat-Tits buildings. Using techniques from quiver representations, we analyze their special fibers, which are explicitly described as quiver Grassmannians. For a class of lattice configurations, called the locally linearly independent configurations, we show that our construction coincide with Mustafin degenerations, thus generalizing a result of Faltings. In such cases, our analysis of special fibers also generalizes results of Cartwright et al. As an application, we prove a smoothing criterion for li…
Using the method of degenerating a Grassmannian into a toric variety, we calculate recursive formulas for the dimensions of the eigenspaces of the action of an n-dimensional torus on a Grassmannian of planes in an n-dimensional space. In order to verify our result we compare it with the polynomial describing the Euler characteristic of invertible sheaves on a projective space with four blown-up points.
The most fundamental example of mirror symmetry compares the Fermat hypersurfaces in P^n and P^n/G, where G is a finite group that acts on P^n and preserves the Fermat hypersurface. We generalise this to hypersurfaces in Grassmannians, where the picture is richer and more complex. There is a finite group G that acts on the Grassmannian Gr(n,r) and preserves an appropriate Calabi-Yau hypersurface. We establish how mirror symmetry, toric degenerations, blow-ups and variation of GIT relate the Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces inside Gr(n,r) and Gr(n,r)/G. This allows us to describe a compactification of …
In this paper we study examples of P^r-scrolls defined over primitively polarized K3 surfaces S of genus g, which arise from Brill-Noether theory of the general curve in the primitive linear system on S and from classical Lazarsfeld's results in. We show that such scrolls form an open dense subset of a component H of their Hilbert scheme; moreover, we study some properties of H (e.g. smoothness, dimensional computation, etc.) just in terms of the moduli space of such K3's and of the moduli space of semistable torsion-free sheaves of a given Mukai-vector on S. One of the motivation of this anal…
We construct closed immersions from initial degenerations of $\operatorname*{Gr}_{0}(d,n)$---the open cell in the Grassmannian $\operatorname*{Gr}(d,n)$ given by the nonvanishing of all Plücker coordinates---to limits of thin Schubert cells associated to diagrams induced by the face poset of the corresponding tropical linear space. These are isomorphisms when $(d,n)$ equals $(2,n)$, $(3,6)$ and $(3,7)$. As an application we prove $\operatorname*{Gr}_0(3,7)$ is schön, and the Chow quotient of $\operatorname*{Gr}(3,7)$ by the maximal torus in $ \operatorname*{PGL}(7)$ is the log canonical compac…
Using degeneration to scrolls, we give an easy proof of non-existence of curves of low genera on general surfaces in P3 of degree d >=5. We show, along the same lines, boundedness of families of curves of small enough genera on general surfaces in P3. We also show that there exist Kobayashi hyperbolic surfaces in P3 of degree d = 7 (a result so far unknown), and give a new construction of such surfaces of degree d = 6. Finally we provide some new lower bounds for geometric genera of surfaces lying on general hypersurfaces of degree 3d > 15 in P4.
The minimal degeneration singularities in the affine Grassmannians of simple simply-laced algebraic groups are determined to be either Kleinian singularities of type A, or closures of minimal orbits in nilpotent cones. The singularities for non-simply-laced types are studied by intersection cohomology and equivariant Chow group methods.
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.
We present a review on the recently discovered link between the Lie theory,the theory of quiver Grassmannians, and various degenerations of flag varieties. Our starting point is the induced Poincaré--Birkhoff--Witt filtration on the highest weight representations and the corresponding PBW degenerate flag varieties.
We study toric degenerations of semi-infinite Grassmannians (a.k.a. quantum Grassmannians). While the toric degenerations of the classical Grassmannians are well studied, the only known example in the semi-infinite case is due to Sottile-Sturmfels. We start by providing a new interpretation of the Sottile-Sturmfels construction by finding a poset such that their degeneration is the toric variety of the order polytope of the poset. We then use our poset to construct and study a new toric degeneration in the semi-infinite case. Our construction is based on the notion of poset polytopes introduce…
We introduce a completely integrable system on the Grassmannian of 2-planes in an n-space associated with any triangulation of a polygon with n sides, and compute the potential function for its Lagrangian torus fiber. The moment polytopes of this system for different triangulations are related by an integral piecewise-linear transformation, and the corresponding potential functions are related by its geometric lift in the sense of Berenstein and Zelevinsky.
We study the algebraic geometry and combinatorics of the central degeneration (the degeneration that shows up in local models of Shimura varieties and Gaitsgory's central sheaves) in type A. More specifically, we elucidate the central degeneration of semi-infinite orbits and explain its relations with Levi restriction. Also, we discuss the central degeneration of Mirkovi$\acute{\text{c}}$-Vilonen cycles in the affine Grassmannian, and the corresponding transformations of Mirkovi$\acute{\text{c}}$-Vilonen polytopes. In addition, we shed some light on the geometry of Iwahori MV cycles in the aff…
We study the algebraic combinatorics of monomial degenerations of Plücker forms which is governed by matching fields in the sense of Sturmfels and Zelevinsky. We provide a necessary condition for a matching field to yield a Khovanskii basis of the Plücker algebra for $3$-planes in $n$-space. When the ideal associated to the matching field is quadratically generated this condition is both necessary and sufficient. Finally, we describe a family of matching fields, called $2$-block diagonal, whose ideals are quadratically generated. These matching fields produce a new family of toric degeneration…
We establish an explicit bijection between the toric degenerations of the Grassmannian $\textrm{Gr}(2,n)$ arising from maximal cones in tropical Grassmannians and the ones coming from plabic graphs corresponding to $\textrm{Gr}(2,n)$. We show that a similar statement does not hold for $\textrm{Gr}(3,6)$.
We prove that the open subvariety $\operatorname{Gr}_0(3,8)$ of the Grassmannian $\operatorname{Gr}(3,8)$ determined by the nonvanishing of all Plücker coordinates is schön, i.e., all of its initial degenerations are smooth. Furthermore, we find an initial degeneration that has two connected components, and show that the remaining initial degenerations, up to symmetry, are irreducible. As an application, we prove that the Chow quotient of $\operatorname{Gr}(3,8)$ by the diagonal torus of $\operatorname{PGL}(8)$ is the log canonical compactification of the moduli space of $8$ lines in $\mathbb{…
Linear degenerate flag varieties are degenerations of flag varieties as quiver Grassmannians. For type A flag varieties, we obtain characterizations of flatness, irreducibility and normality of these degenerations via rank tuples. Some of them are shown to be isomorphic to Schubert varieties and can be realized as highest weight orbits of partially degenerate Lie algebras, generalizing the corresponding results on degenerate flag varieties. To study normality, cell decompositions of quiver Grassmannians are constructed in a wider context of equioriented quivers of type A.
Let $Q^*$ denote the dual of the quotient bundle on the Grassmannian $G(2,n)$. We prove that the ideal of $Q^*$ in its natural embedding has initial ideal equal to the Stanley-Reisner ideal of a certain unobstructed simplicial complex. Furthermore, we show that the coordinate ring of $Q^*$ has no infinitesimal deformations for $n>5$.
We introduce iterated sequences for Grassmannians, a new class of Fang-Fourier-Littelmanns' birational sequences and explain how they give rise to points in $\text{trop}(\text{Gr}(k,\mathbb C^n))$, Speyer-Sturmfels' tropical Grassmannian. For $\text{Gr}(2,\mathbb C^n)$ we show that the associated valuations induce toric degenerations. We describe recursively the vertices of the corresponding Newton--Okounkov polytopes, which are particular vertices of a hypercube and hence integral. We show further that every toric degeneration of $\text{Gr}(2,\mathbb C^{n})$ constructed using the tropical Gra…
Let $V$ be the weighted projective variety defined by a weighted homogeneous ideal $J$ and $C$ a maximal cone in the Gröbner fan of $J$ with $m$ rays. We construct a flat family over $\mathbb A^m$ that assembles the Gröbner degenerations of $V$ associated with all faces of $C$. This is a multi-parameter generalization of the classical one-parameter Gröbner degeneration associated to a weight. We explain how our family can be constructed from Kaveh-Manon's recent work on the classification of toric flat families over toric varieties: it is the pull-back of a toric family defined by a Rees algeb…
In this paper we study some properties of degenerations of surfaces whose general fibre is a smooth projective surface and whose central fibre is a reduced, connected surface $X \subset IP^r$, $r \geq 3$, which is assumed to be a union of smooth projective surfaces, in particular of planes. Our original motivation has been a series of papers of G. Zappa which appeared in the 1940-50's regarding degenerations of scrolls to unions of planes. Here, we present a first set of results on the subject; other aspects are still work in progress and will appear later. We first study the geometry and the …
In this article we exhibit certain projective degenerations of smooth $K3$ surfaces of degree $2g-2$ in $\Bbb P^g$ (whose Picard group is generated by the hyperplane class), to a union of two rational normal scrolls, and also to a union of planes. As a consequence we prove that the general hyperplane section of such $K3$ surfaces has a corank one Gaussian map, if $g=11$ or $g\geq 13$. We also prove that the general such hyperplane section lies on a unique $K3$ surface, up to projectivities. Finally we present a new approach to the classification of prime Fano threefolds of index one, which doe…
The degeneration of the hyperelliptic sigma function is studied. We use the Sato Grassmannian for this purpose. A simple decomposition of a rational function gives a decomposition of Plücker coordinates of a frame of the Sato Grassmannian. It then gives a decomposition of the tau function corresponding to the degeneration of a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g$ in terms of the tau functions corresponding to a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g-1$. Since the tau functions are described by sigma functions, we get the corresponding formula for the degenerate hyperelliptic sigma function.
We consider certain degenerations of trigonal curves and hyperelliptic curves, which we call one step degeneration. We compute the limits of corresponding quasi-periodic solutions using the Sato Grassmannian. The mixing of solitons and quasi-periodic solutions is clearly visible in the obtained solutions.
We compute toric degenerations arising from the tropicalization of the full flag varieties $\mathcal{F}\ell_4$ and $\mathcal{F}\ell_5$ embedded in a product of Grassmannians. For $\mathcal{F}\ell_4$ and $\mathcal{F}\ell_5$ we compare toric degenerations arising from string polytopes and the FFLV polytope with those obtained from the tropicalization of the flag varieties. We also present a general procedure to find toric degenerations in the cases where the initial ideal arising from a cone of the tropicalization of a variety is not prime.
By the geometric Satake isomorphism of Mirkovic and Vilonen, decomposition numbers for reductive groups can be interpreted as decomposition numbers for equivariant perverse sheaves on the complex affine Grassmannian of the Langlands dual group. Using a description of the minimal degenerations of the affine Grassmannian obtained by Malkin, Ostrik and Vybornov, we are able to recover geometrically some decomposition numbers for reductive groups. In the other direction, we can use some decomposition numbers for reductive groups to prove geometric results, such as a new proof of non-smoothness res…
A congruence is a surface in the Grassmannian ${\rm Gr}(2, 4)$. In this paper, we consider the normalization of congruence of bitangents to a hypersurface in $\mathbb P^3$. We call it the Fano congruence of bitangents. We give a criterion for smoothness of the Fano congruence of bitangents and describe explicitly their degenerations in a general Lefschetz pencil in the space of hypersurfaces in $\mathbb P^3$.
There is a large number of different ways of constructing Calabi-Yau manifolds, as well as related non-geometric formulations, relevant in string compactifications. Showcasing this diversity, we discuss explicit deformation families of discretely distinct Hirzebruch hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{P}^n \times \mathbb{P}^1$ and identify their toric counterparts in detail. This precise isomorphism is then used to investigate some of their special divisors of interest, and in particular the secondary deformation family of their Calabi-Yau subspaces. In particular, most of the above so called Hirzebruch…
The Gelfand-Tsetlin and the Feigin-Fourier-Littelmann-Vinberg polytopes for the Grassmannians are defined, from the perspective of representation theory, to parametrize certain bases for highest weight irreducible modules. These polytopes are Newton-Okounkov bodies for the Grassmannian and, in particular, the GT-polytope is an example of a string polytope. The polytopes admit a combinatorial description as the Stanley's order and chain polytopes of a certain poset, as shown by Ardila, Bliem and Salaza. We prove that these polytopes occur among matching field polytopes. Moreover, we show that t…
Via a natural degeneration of Grassmannian manifolds $G(k,n)$ to Gorenstein toric Fano varieties $P(k,n)$ with conifold singularities, we suggest an approach to study the relation between the tautological system on $G(k,n)$ and the extended GKZ system on the small resolution $\hat{P}(k,n)$ of $P(k,n)$. We carry out the simplest case $(k,n)=(2,4)$ to ensure its validity and show that the extended GKZ system can be regarded as a tautological system on $\hat{P}(2,4)$.