arXiv subjects

Allen Knutson

Publications and source records attributed to Allen Knutson.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

A limit of toric symplectic forms that has no periodic Hamiltonians

We calculate the Riemann-Roch number of some of the pentagon spaces defined in [Klyachko,Kapovich-Millson,HK1]. Using this, we show that while the regular pentagon space is diffeomorphic to a toric variety, even symplectomorphic to one under arbitrarily small perturbations of its symplectic structure, it does not admit a symplectic circle action. In particular, within the cohomology classes of symplectic structures, the subset admitting a circle action is not closed.

math.SG↗

arXiv1998

The cohomology ring of symplectic cuts

The ``symplectic cut'' construction [Lerman] produces two symplectic orbifolds $C_-$ and $C_+$ from a symplectic manifold $M$ with a Hamiltonian circle action. We compute the rational cohomology ring of $C_+$ in terms of those of $M$ and $C_-$.

math.SG↗

arXiv1997

The cohomology ring of polygon spaces

We compute the integer cohomology rings of the ``polygon spaces'' introduced in [Hausmann,Klyachko,Kapovich-Millson]. This is done by embedding them in certain toric varieties; the restriction map on cohomology is surjective and we calculate its kernel using ideas from the theory of Gröbner bases. Since we do not invert the prime 2, we can tensor with Z/2; halving all degrees we show this produces the Z/2 cohomology rings of planar polygon spaces. In the equilateral case, where there is an action of the symmetric group permuting the edges, we show that the induced action on the integer cohomology is _not_ the standard one, despite it being so on the rational cohomology [Kl]. Finally, our formulae for the Poincaré polynomials are more computationally effective than those known [Kl].

dg-ga↗

arXiv1996

Polygon spaces and Grassmannians

We study the moduli spaces of polygons in R^2 and R^3, identifying them with subquotients of 2-Grassmannians using a symplectic version of the Gel'fand-MacPherson correspondence. We show that the bending flows defined by Kapovich-Millson arise as a reduction of the Gel'fand-Cetlin system on the Grassmannian, and with these determine the pentagon and hexagon spaces up to equivariant symplectomorphism. Other than invocation of Delzant's theorem, our proofs are purely polygon-theoretic in nature.

dg-ga↗