arXiv subjects

Ben Webster

Publications and source records attributed to Ben Webster.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Knot invariants and higher representation theory

We construct knot invariants categorifying the quantum knot variants for all representations of quantum groups. We show that these invariants coincide with previous invariants defined by Khovanov for sl_2 and sl_3 and by Mazorchuk-Stroppel and Sussan for sl_n. Our technique is to study 2-representations of 2-quantum groups (in the sense of Rouquier and Khovanov-Lauda) categorifying tensor products of irreducible representations. These are the representation categories of certain finite dimensional algebras with an explicit diagrammatic presentation, generalizing the cyclotomic quotient of the KLR algebra. When the Lie algebra under consideration is $\mathfrak{sl}_n$, we show that these categories agree with certain subcategories of parabolic category O for gl_k. We also investigate the finer structure of these categories: they are standardly stratified and satisfy a double centralizer property with respect to their self-dual modules. The standard modules of the stratification play an important role as test objects for functors, as Vermas do in more classical representation theory. The existence of these representations has consequences for the structure of previously studied categorifications. It allows us to prove the non-degeneracy of Khovanov and Lauda's 2-category (that its Hom spaces have the expected dimension) in all symmetrizable types, and that the cyclotomic quiver Hecke algebras are symmetric Frobenius. In work of Reshetikhin and Turaev, the braiding and (co)evaluation maps between representations of quantum groups are used to define polynomial knot invariants. We show that the categorifications of tensor products are related by functors categorifying these maps, which allow the construction of bigraded knot homologies whose graded Euler characteristics are the original polynomial knot invariants.

math.GT↗

arXiv2015

Mirkovic-Vilonen polytopes and Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebras

We describe how Mirkovic-Vilonen polytopes arise naturally from the categorification of Lie algebras using Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebras. This gives an explicit description of the unique crystal isomorphism between simple representations of the KLR algebra and MV polytopes. MV polytopes, as defined from the geometry of the affine Grassmannian, only make sense for finite dimensional semi-simple Lie algebras, but our construction actually gives a map from the infinity crystal to polytopes in all symmetrizable Kac-Moody algebras. However, to make the map injective and have well-defined crystal operators on the image, we must in general decorate our polytopes with some extra information. We suggest that the resulting KLR polytopes are the general-type analogues of MV polytopes. We give a combinatorial description of the resulting decorated polytopes in all affine cases, and show that this recovers the affine MV polytopes recently defined by Kamnitzer and Baumann and the first author in symmetric affine types. We also briefly discuss the situation beyond affine type.

math.RT↗

arXiv2015

Cyclicity for categorified quantum groups

We equip the categorified quantum group attached to a KLR algebra and an arbitrary choice of scalars with duality functor which is cyclic, that is, such that f=f^** for all 2-morphisms f. This is accomplished via a modified diagrammatic formalism.

math.QA↗

arXiv2015

A categorical action on quantized quiver varieties

In this paper, we describe a categorical action of any Kac-Moody algebra on a category of quantized coherent sheaves on Nakajima quiver varieties. By "quantized coherent sheaves," we mean a category of sheaves of modules over a deformation quantization of the natural symplectic structure on quiver varieties. This action is a direct categorification of the geometric construction of universal enveloping algebras by Nakajima.

math.AG↗

arXiv2015

Categorified skew Howe duality and comparison of knot homologies

In this paper, we show an isomorphism of homological knot invariants categorifying the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants for $\mathfrak{sl}_n$. Over the past decade, such invariants have been constructed in a variety of different ways, using matrix factorizations, category $\mathcal{O}$, affine Grassmannians, and diagrammatic categorifications of tensor products. While the definitions of these theories are quite different, there is a key commonality between them which makes it possible to prove that they are all isomorphic: they arise from a skew Howe dual action of $\mathfrak{gl}_\ell$ for some $\ell$. In this paper, we show that the construction of knot homology based on categorifying tensor products (from earlier work of the second author) fits into this framework, and thus agrees with other such homologies, such as Khovanov-Rozansky homology. We accomplish this by categorifying the action of $\mathfrak{gl}_\ell\times \mathfrak{gl}_n$ on $\bigwedge\nolimits^{\!p}(\mathbb{C}^\ell\otimes \mathbb{C}^n)$ using diagrammatic bimodules. In this action, the functors corresponding to $\mathfrak{gl}_\ell$ and $\mathfrak{gl}_n$ are quite different in nature, but they will switch roles under Koszul duality.

math.GT↗

arXiv2014

Localization algebras and deformations of Koszul algebras

We show that the center of a flat graded deformation of a standard Koszul algebra behaves in many ways like the torus-equivariant cohomology ring of an algebraic variety with finite fixed-point set. In particular, the center acts by characters on the deformed standard modules, providing a "localization map." We construct a universal graded deformation, and show that the spectrum of its center is supported on a certain arrangement of hyperplanes which is orthogonal to the arrangement coming the Koszul dual algebra. This is an algebraic version of a duality discovered by Goresky and MacPherson between the equivariant cohomology rings of partial flag varieties and Springer fibers; we recover and generalize their result by showing that the center of the universal deformation for the ring governing a block of parabolic category $\mathcal{O}$ for $\mathfrak{gl}_n$ is isomorphic to the equivariant cohomology of a Spaltenstein variety. We also identify the center of the deformed version of the "category $\mathcal{O}$" of a hyperplane arrangement (defined by the authors in a previous paper) with the equivariant cohomology of a hypertoric variety.

math.RA↗

arXiv2014

Quiver Schur algebras and q-Fock space

We develop a graded version of the theory of cyclotomic q-Schur algebras, in the spirit of the work of Brundan-Kleshchev on Hecke algebras and of Ariki on q-Schur algebras. As an application, we identify the coefficients of the canonical basis on a higher level Fock space with q-analogues of the decomposition numbers of cyclotomic q-Schur algebras. We present cyclotomic q-Schur algebras as a quotient of a convolution algebra arising in the geometry of quivers; hence we call these quiver Schur algebras. These algebras are also presented diagrammatically, similar in flavor to a recent construction of Khovanov and Lauda. They are also manifestly graded and so equip the cyclotomic q-Schur algebra with a non-obvious grading. On the way we construct a graded cellular basis of this algebra, resembling the constructions for cyclotomic Hecke algebras by Mathas, Hu, Brundan and the first author. The quiver Schur algebra is also interesting from the perspective of higher representation theory. The sum of Grothendieck groups of certain cyclotomic quotients is known to agree with a higher level Fock space. We show that our graded version defines a higher q-Fock space (defined as a tensor product of level 1 q-deformed Fock spaces). Under this identification, the indecomposable projective modules are identified with the canonical basis and the Weyl modules with the standard basis. This allows us to prove the already described relation between decomposition numbers and canonical bases.

math.RA↗

arXiv2013

Knot invariants and higher representation theory I: diagrammatic and geometric categorification of tensor products

In this paper, we study 2-representations of 2-quantum groups (in the sense of Rouquier and Khovanov-Lauda) categorifying tensor products of irreducible representations. Our aim is to construct knot homologies categorifying Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of knots for arbitrary representations, which will be done in a follow-up paper. We consider an algebraic construction of these categories, via an explicit diagrammatic presentation, generalizing the cyclotomic quotient of the quiver Hecke algebra. One of our primary results is that these categories coincide when both are defined. We also investigate finer structure of these categories. Like many similar representation-theoretic categories, they are standardly stratified and satisfy a double centralizer property with respect to their self-dual modules. The standard modules of the stratification play an important role, as Vermas do in more classical representation theory, as test objects for functors. The existence of these representations has consequences for the structure of previously studied categorifications; it allows us to prove the non-degeneracy of Khovanov and Lauda's 2-category (that its Hom spaces have the expected dimension) in all symmetrizable types, and that the cyclotomic quiver Hecke algebras are symmetric Frobenius.

math.GT↗

arXiv2013

Knot invariants and higher representation theory II: the categorification of quantum knot invariants

math.GT↗

arXiv2013

Yangians and quantizations of slices in the affine Grassmannian

We study quantizations of transverse slices to Schubert varieties in the affine Grassmannian. The quantization is constructed using quantum groups called shifted Yangians --- these are subalgebras of the Yangian we introduce which generalize the Brundan-Kleshchev shifted Yangian to arbitrary type. Building on ideas of Gerasimov-Kharchev-Lebedev-Oblezin, we prove that a quotient of the shifted Yangian quantizes a scheme supported on the transverse slices, and we formulate a conjectural description of the defining ideal of these slices which implies that the scheme is reduced. This conjecture also implies the conjectural quantization of the Zastava spaces for PGL(n) of Finkelberg-Rybnykov.

math.RA↗

arXiv2011

Singular blocks of parabolic category O and finite W-algebras

We show that each integral infinitesimal block of parabolic category O (including singular ones) for a semi-simple Lie algebra can be realized as a full subcategory of a "thick" category O over a finite W-algebra for the same Lie algebra. The nilpotent used to construct this finite W-algebra is determined by the central character of the block, and the subcategory taken is that killed by a two-sided ideal depending on the original parabolic. The equivalences in question are induced by those of Milicic-Soergel and Losev. We also give a proof of a result of some independent interest: the singular blocks of parabolic category O can be geometrically realized as "partial Whittaker sheaves" on partial flag varieties.

math.RT↗

arXiv2010

A geometric construction of colored HOMFLYPT homology

The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, we give a fully geometric description of the HOMFLYPT homology of Khovanov-Rozansky. Our method is to construct this invariant in terms of the cohomology of various sheaves on certain algebraic groups, in the same spirit as the authors' previous work on Soergel bimodules. All the differentials and gradings which appear in the construction of HOMFLYPT homology are given a geometric interpretation. In fact, with only minor modifications, we can extend this construction to give a categorification of the colored HOMFLYPT polynomial, colored HOMFLYPT homology. We show that it is in fact a knot invariant categorifying the colored HOMFLYPT polynomial and that this coincides with the categorification proposed by Mackaay, Stosic and Vaz.

math.GT↗

arXiv2010

The geometry of Markov traces

We give a geometric interpretation of the Jones-Ocneanu trace on the Hecke algebra, using the equivariant cohomology of sheaves on SL(n). This construction makes sense for all simple algebraic groups, so we obtain a generalization of the Jones-Ocneanu trace to Hecke algebras of other types. We give a geometric expansion of this trace in terms of the irreducible characters of the Hecke algebra, and conclude that it agrees with a trace defined independently by Gomi. Based on our proof, we also prove that certain simple perverse sheaves on a reductive algebraic group G are equivariantly formal for the conjugation action of a Borel B, or equivalently, that the Hochschild homology of any Soergel bimodule is free, as the authors had previously conjectured. This construction is closely tied to knot homology. This interpretation of the Jones-Ocneanu trace is a more elementary manifestation of the geometric construction of HOMFLYPT homology given by the authors in a previous paper.

math.AG↗

arXiv2010

2-block Springer fibers: convolution algebras and coherent sheaves

For a fixed 2-block Springer fiber, we describe the structure of its irreducible components and their relation to the Bialynicki-Birula paving, following work of Fung. That is, we consider the space of complete flags in C^n preserved by a fixed nilpotent matrix with 2 Jordan blocks, and study the action of diagonal matrices commuting with our fixed nilpotent. In particular, we describe the structure of each component, its set of torus fixed points, and prove a conjecture of Fung describing the intersection of any pair. Then we define a convolution algebra structure on the direct sum of the cohomologies of pairwise intersections of irreducible components and closures of C^*-attracting sets (that is, Bialynicki-Birula cells), and show this is isomorphic to a generalization of the arc algebra of Khovanov defined by the first author. We investigate the connection of this algebra to Cautis & Kamnitzer's recent work on link homology via coherent sheaves and suggest directions for future research.

math.RT↗

arXiv2008

Gale duality and Koszul duality

Given an affine hyperplane arrangement with some additional structure, we define two finite-dimensional, noncommutative algebras, both of which are motivated by the geometry of hypertoric varieties. We show that these algebras are Koszul dual to each other, and that the roles of the two algebras are reversed by Gale duality. We also study the centers and representation categories of our algebras, which are in many ways analogous to integral blocks of category O.

math.RT↗

arXiv2008

Small linearly equivalent $G$-sets and a construction of Beaulieu

Two $G$-sets ($G$ a finite group) are called linearly equivalent over a commutative ring $k$ if the permutation representations $k[X]$ and $k[Y]$ are isomorphic as modules over the group algebra $kG$. Pairs of linearly equivalent non-isomorphic $G$-sets have applications in number theory and geometry. We characterize the groups $G$ for which such pairs exist for any field, and give a simple construction of these pairs. If $k$ is $\Q$, these are precisely the non-cyclic groups. For any non-cyclic group, we prove that there exist $G$-sets which are non-isomorphic and \lineq over $\Q$, of cardinality $\leq 3(#G)/2$. Also, we investigate a construction of P. Beaulieu which allows us to construct pairs of transitive linearly equivalent $S_n$-sets from arbitrary $G$-sets for an arbitrary group $G$. We show that this construction works over all fields and use it construct, for each finite set $\mc P$ of primes, $S_n$-sets linearly equivalent over a field $k$ if and only if the characteristic of $k$ lies in $\mc P$.

math.GR↗

arXiv2008

Cramped subgroups and generalized Harish-Chandra modules

Let G be a reductive complex Lie group with Lie algebra g. We call a subgroup H of G {\bf cramped} if there is an integer b(G,H) such that each finite dimensional representation of G has a non-trivial invariant subspace of dimension less than b(G,H). We show that a subgroup is cramped if and only if the moment map from T^*(K/L) to k^* is surjective, where K and L are compact forms of G and H. We will use this in conjunction with sufficient conditions for crampedness given by Willenbring and Zuckerman (2004) to prove a geometric lemma on the intersections between adjoint orbits and Killing orthogonals to subgroups. We will also discuss applications of the techniques of symplectic geometry to the generalized Harish-Chandra modules introduced by Penkov and Zuckerman (2004), of which our results on crampedness are special cases.

math.RT↗

arXiv2007

A geometric model for Hochschild homology of Soergel bimodules

An important step in the calculation of the triply graded link homology theory of Khovanov and Rozansky is the determination of the Hochschild homology of Soergel bimodules for SL(n). We present a geometric model for this Hochschild homology for any simple group G, as equivariant intersection homology of B x B-orbit closures in G. We show that, in type A these orbit closures are equivariantly formal for the conjugation T-action. We use this fact to show that in the case where the corresponding orbit closure is smooth, this Hochschild homology is an exterior algebra over a polynomial ring on generators whose degree is explicitly determined by the geometry of the orbit closure, and describe its Hilbert series, proving a conjecture of Jacob Rasmussen.

math.AG↗