Cotangent Bundles of Partial Flag Varieties and Conormal Varieties of their Schubert Divisors

Abstract

Let $P$ be a parabolic subgroup in $G=SL_n(\mathbf k)$, for $\mathbf k$ an algebraically closed field. We show that there is a $G$-stable closed subvariety of an affine Schubert variety in an affine partial flag variety which is a natural compactification of the cotangent bundle $T^*G/P$. Restricting this identification to the conormal variety $N^*X(w)$ of a Schubert divisor $X(w)$ in $G/P$, we show that there is a compactification of $N^*X(w)$ as an affine Schubert variety. It follows that $N^*X(w)$ is normal, Cohen-Macaulay, and Frobenius split.