arXiv subjects

Martha Precup

Publications and source records attributed to Martha Precup.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dimensions of type $A$ Hessenberg varieties over a fixed sheet

Hessenberg varieties $\mathcal{H}\mathrm{ess}(\mathsf{X},\mathbf{h})$ are subvarieties of the flag variety parameterized by a Hessenberg function $\mathbf{h}: [n] \to [n]$ and a matrix $\mathsf{X} \in \mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{C})$. In recent work, Goldin and the second author showed the existence of flat degenerations of Hessenberg varieties to nilpotent Hessenberg varieties over the minimal sheet. This implies that all Hessenberg varieties over the minimal sheet have the same dimension. Our main result generalizes this dimension result to arbitrary sheets. Specifically, we prove that for a fixed Hessenberg function $\mathbf{h}:[n] \to [n]$, all Hessenberg varieties $\mathcal{H}\mathrm{ess}(\mathsf{X},\mathbf{h})$ defined in the type $A$ flag variety by linear operators $\mathsf{X}$ from the same sheet of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{C})$ have the same dimension.

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arXiv2026

Ideals defining components of two-row Springer fibers

Springer fibers are subvarieties of the flag variety parameterized by nilpotent matrices. They are central objects of study in geometry representation theory. This paper focuses on two-row Springer fibers, those corresponding to nilpotent matrices with two Jordan blocks. Irreducible components of two-row Springer fibers are in bijection with two-row standard Young tableaux and also with noncrossing matchings. Inspired by the combinatorial commutative algebra of matrix Schubert varieties, we define a polynomial ideal for each noncrossing matching and prove that these ideals define the corresponding components of the Springer fiber. Our proofs leverage geometric descriptions of Springer fibers established by Fung, Stroppel--Webster, Fresse, and Goldwasser--Nadeem--Sun--Tymoczko. Using these ideals to compute examples, we give two conjectural formulas for the cohomology class of each component of a two-row Springer fiber. We apply commutative algebra techniques to prove these conjectures for a specific family of two-row tableaux.

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arXiv2025

Restricted inversion polynomials

For a finite subset $I$ of positive integers, the descent polynomial $\mathcal{D}(I;n)$ counts the number of permutations in $S_n$ that have descent set $I$. We generalize descent polynomials by considering permutations with a specific subset $S$ of common inversions called $\mathbf{h}$-inversions, where $\mathbf{h} = (\mathbf{h}(1), \mathbf{h}(2), \ldots )$ is a weakly increasing sequence of positive integers such that $\mathbf{h}(i)> i$. We prove that this more general count, denoted by $\mathcal{I}_\mathbf{h}(S;n)$, is also a polynomial. We give three explicit expansions for $\mathcal{I}_\mathbf{h}(S;n)$, prove the coefficients for two of these expansions are log-concave, and define a graded generalization.

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arXiv2025

Matrix Hessenberg schemes over the minimal sheet

We study families of matrix Hessenberg schemes in the affine scheme of complex $n\times n$ matrices, each defined over a fixed sheet in the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{C})$. It is well known that such families over the regular sheet are flat, and every regular Hessenberg scheme degenerates to a regular nilpotent Hessenberg scheme. This paper explores whether flat degenerations exist outside of the regular case. For each matrix Hessenberg scheme, we introduce a one-parameter family of matrix Hessenberg schemes that degenerates it to a specific nilpotent Hessenberg scheme. Our main theorem states that, when the family lies over the minimal sheet in $\mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{C})$, this degeneration is flat. The proof leverages commutative algebra on the polynomial ring to identify the structure of the family concretely, and we explore several applications. We conjecture that flatness holds for these families over other sheets as well.

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arXiv2024

Regular Hessenberg varieties for the minimal indecomposable Hessenberg space

This paper investigates the geometry of regular Hessenberg varieties associated with the minimal indecomposable Hessenberg space in the flag variety of a complex reductive group. These varieties form a flat family of irreducible subvarieties of the flag variety, encompassing notable examples such as the Peterson variety and toric varieties linked to Weyl chambers. Our first main result computes the closures of affine cells that pave these varieties explicitly, establishing a correspondence between Hessenberg--Schubert varieties and regular Hessenberg varieties in smaller dimensional flag varieties. We also analyze the singular locus of these varieties, proving that all regular Hessenberg varieties are singular outside of the toric case. Specifically, we extend previous results on the singular locus of the Peterson variety to all Lie types. Additionally, we provide detailed descriptions of Hessenberg--Schubert variety inclusion relations, a combinatorial characterization of smooth Hessenberg--Schubert varieties, and simple formulas for their $K$-theory and cohomology classes. The paper also includes a classification of all singular permutation flags in each regular Hessenberg variety in type A, linking them to combinatorial patterns, and generalizes these findings using root-theoretic data to all Lie types.

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arXiv2024

Minimal semisimple Hessenberg schemes

We study a collection of Hessenberg varieties in the type A flag variety associated to a nonzero semisimple matrix whose conjugacy class has minimal dimension. We prove each such minimal semisimple Hessenberg variety is a union Richardson varieties and compute this set of Richardson varieties explicitly. Our methods leverage the notion of matrix Hessenberg schemes to answer questions about the geometry of minimal semisimple Hessenberg varieties using commutative algebra and known results on Schubert determinantal ideals. In particular, we show that all type A minimal semisimple matrix Hessenberg schemes are reduced.

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arXiv2023

Geometric and combinatorial properties of extended Springer fibers

We consider a generalization of the Springer resolution studied in earlier work of the authors, called the extended Springer resolution. In type $A$, this map plays a role in Lusztig's generalized Springer correspondence comparable to that of the Springer resolution in the Springer correspondence. The fibers of the Springer resolution play a key part in the latter story, and connect the combinatorics of tableaux to geometry. Our main results prove the same is true for fibers of the extended Springer resolution -- their geometry is governed by the combinatorics of tableaux. In particular, we prove that these fibers are paved by affines, up to the action of a finite group, and give combinatorial formulas for their Betti numbers. This yields, among other things, a simple formula for dimensions of stalks of the Lusztig sheaves arising in the study of the generalized Springer correspondence, and shows that there is a close resemblance between each Lusztig sheaf and the Springer sheaf for a smaller group.

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arXiv2023

$K$-Orbit closures and Hessenberg varieties

This article explores the relationship between Hessenberg varieties associated with semisimple operators with two eigenvalues and orbit closures of a spherical subgroup of the general linear group. We establish the specific conditions under which these semisimple Hessenberg varieties are irreducible. We determine the dimension of each irreducible Hessenberg variety under consideration and show that the number of such varieties is a Catalan number. We then apply a theorem of Brion to compute a polynomial representative for the cohomology class of each such variety. Additionally, we calculate the intersections of a standard (Schubert) hyperplane section of the flag variety with each of our Hessenberg varieties and prove this intersection possess a cohomological multiplicity-free property.

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arXiv2022

Hessenberg varieties of codimension one in the flag variety

We study geometric and topological properties of Hessenberg varieties of codimension one in the type A flag variety. Our main results: (1) give a formula for the Poincar\'e polynomial, (2) characterize when these varieties are irreducible, and (3) show that all are reduced schemes. We prove that the singular locus of any nilpotent codimension one Hessenberg variety is also a Hessenberg variety. A key tool in our analysis is a new result applying to all (type A) Hessenberg varieties without any restriction on codimension, which states that their Poincar\'e polynomials can be computed by counting the points in the corresponding variety defined over a finite field. The results below were originally motivated by work of the authors in [arXiv:2107.07929] studying the precise relationship between Hessenberg and Schubert varieties, and we obtain a corollary extending the results from that paper to all codimension one (type A) Schubert varieties.

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arXiv2022

Toward permutation bases in the equivariant cohomology rings of regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties

Recent work of Shareshian and Wachs, Brosnan and Chow, and Guay-Paquet connects the well-known Stanley-Stembridge conjecture in combinatorics to the dot action of the symmetric group $S_n$ on the cohomology rings $H^*(Hess(S,h))$ of regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties. In particular, in order to prove the Stanley-Stembridge conjecture, it suffices to construct (for any Hessenberg function $h$) a permutation basis of $H^*(Hess(S,h))$ whose elements have stabilizers isomorphic to Young subgroups. In this manuscript we give several results which contribute toward this goal. Specifically, in some special cases, we give a new, purely combinatorial construction of classes in the $T$-equivariant cohomology ring $H^*_T(Hess(S,h))$ which form permutation bases for subrepresentations in $H^*_T(Hess(S,h))$. Moreover, from the definition of our classes it follows that the stabilizers are isomorphic to Young subgroups. Our constructions use a presentation of the $T$-equivariant cohomology rings $H^*_T(Hess(S,h))$ due to Goresky, Kottwitz, and MacPherson. The constructions presented in this manuscript generalize past work of Abe-Horiguchi-Masuda, Chow, and Cho-Hong-Lee.

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arXiv2022

Torus fixed point sets of Hessenberg Schubert varieties in regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties

It is well-known that the $T$-fixed points of a Schubert variety in the flag variety $GL_n(\mathbb{C})/B$ can be characterized purely combinatorially in terms of Bruhat order on the symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$. In a recent preprint, Cho, Hong, and Lee give a combinatorial description of the $T$-fixed points of Hessenberg analogues of Schubert varieties (which we call Hessenberg Schubert varieties) in a regular semisimple Hessenberg variety. This note gives an interpretation of their result in terms of Bruhat order by making use of a partition of the symmetric group defined using so-called subsets of Weyl type. The Appendix, written by Michael Zeng, proves a lemma concerning subsets of Weyl type which is required in our arguments.

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arXiv2022

Perverse sheaves, nilpotent Hessenberg varieties, and the modular law

We consider generalizations of the Springer resolution of the nilpotent cone of a simple Lie algebra by replacing the cotangent bundle with certain other vector bundles over the flag variety. We show that the analogue of the Springer sheaf has as direct summands only intersection cohomology sheaves that arise in the Springer correspondence. The fibers of these general maps are nilpotent Hessenberg varieties, and we build on techniques established by De Concini, Lusztig, and Procesi to study their geometry. For example, we show that these fibers have vanishing cohomology in odd degrees. This leads to several implications for the dual picture, where we consider maps that generalize the Grothendieck-Springer resolution of the whole Lie algebra. In particular we are able to prove a conjecture of Brosnan. As we vary the maps, the cohomology of the corresponding nilpotent Hessenberg varieties often satisfy a relation we call the geometric modular law, which also has origins in the work on De Concini, Lusztig, and Procesi. We connect this relation in type $A$ with a combinatorial modular law defined by Guay-Paquet that is satisfied by certain symmetric functions and deduce some consequences of that connection.

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arXiv2021

Hessenberg varieties associated to ad-nilpotent ideals

We consider Hessenberg varieties in the flag variety of $GL_n(\mathbb{C})$ with the property that the corresponding Hessenberg function defines an ad-nilpotent ideal. Each such Hessenberg variety is contained in a Springer fiber. We extend a theorem of Tymoczko to this setting, showing that these varieties have an affine paving obtained by intersecting with Schubert cells. Our method of proof constructs an an affine paving for each Springer fiber that restricts to an affine paving of the Hessenberg variety. We use the combinatorial properties of this paving to prove that Hessenberg varieties of this kind are connected.

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arXiv2021

Which Schubert Varieties are Hessenberg Varieties?

After proving that every Schubert variety in the full flag variety of a complex reductive group $G$ is a general Hessenberg variety, we show that not all such Schubert varieties are adjoint Hessenberg varieties. In fact, in types A and C, we provide pattern avoidance criteria implying that the proportion of Schubert varieties that are adjoint Hessenberg varieties approaches zero as the rank of $G$ increases. We show also that in type A, some Schubert varieties are not isomorphic to any adjoint Hessenberg variety.

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arXiv2021

An equivariant basis for the cohomology of Springer fibers

Springer fibers are subvarieties of the flag variety that play an important role in combinatorics and geometric representation theory. In this paper, we analyze the equivariant cohomology of Springer fibers for $GL_n(\mathbb{C})$ using results of Kumar and Procesi that describe this equivariant cohomology as a quotient ring. We define a basis for the equivariant cohomology of a Springer fiber, generalizing a monomial basis of the ordinary cohomology defined by De Concini and Procesi and studied by Garsia and Procesi. Our construction yields a combinatorial framework with which to study the equivariant and ordinary cohomology rings of Springer fibers. As an application, we identify an explicit collection of (equivariant) Schubert classes whose images in the (equivariant) cohomology ring of a given Springer fiber form a basis.

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arXiv2020

A filtration on the cohomology rings of regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties

Let $n$ be a positive integer. The main result of this manuscript is a construction of a filtration on the cohomology ring of a regular nilpotent Hessenberg variety in $GL(n,{\mathbb{C}})/B$ such that its associated graded ring has graded pieces (i.e., homogeneous components) isomorphic to rings which are related to the cohomology rings of Hessenberg varieties in $GL(n-1,{\mathbb{C}})/B$, showing the inductive nature of these rings. In previous work, the first two authors, together with Abe and Masuda, gave an explicit presentation of these cohomology rings in terms of generators and relations. We introduce a new set of polynomials which are closely related to the relations in the above presentation and obtain a sequence of equivalence relations they satisfy; this allows us to derive our filtration. In addition, we obtain the following three corollaries. First, we give an inductive formula for the Poincaré polynomial of these varieties. Second, we give an explicit monomial basis for the cohomology rings of regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties with respect to the presentation mentioned above. Third, we derive a basis of the set of linear relations satisfied by the images of the Schubert classes in the cohomology rings of regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties. Finally, our methods and results suggest many directions for future work; in particular, we propose a definition of "Hessenberg Schubert polynomials" in the context of regular nilpotent Hessenberg varieties, and outline several open questions pertaining to them.

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arXiv2020

A new approach to the generalized Springer correspondence

The Springer resolution of the nilpotent cone is used to give a geometric construction of the irreducible representations of Weyl groups. Borho and MacPherson obtain the Springer correspondence by applying the decomposition theorem to the Springer resolution, establishing an injective map from the set of irreducible Weyl group representations to simple equivariant perverse sheaves on the nilpotent cone. In this manuscript, we consider a generalization of the Springer resolution using a variety defined by the first author. Our main result shows that in the type A case, applying the decomposition theorem to this map yields all simple perverse sheaves on the nilpotent cone with multiplicity as predicted by Lusztig's generalized Springer correspondence.

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arXiv2020

Hessenberg varieties of parabolic type

This paper studies the geometry and combinatorics of three interrelated varieties: Springer fibers, Steinberg varieties, and parabolic Hessenberg varieties. We prove that each parabolic Hessenberg variety is the pullback of a Steinberg variety under the projection of the flag variety to an appropriate partial flag variety and we give three applications of this result. The first application constructs an explicit paving of all Steinberg varieties in Lie type $A$ in terms of semistandard tableaux. As a result, we obtain an elementary proof of a theorem of Steinberg and Shimomura that the well-known Kostka numbers count the maximal-dimensional irreducible components of Steinberg varieties. The second application proves an open conjecture for certain parabolic Hessenberg varieties in Lie type A by showing that their Betti numbers equal those of a specific union of Schubert varieties. The third application proves that the irreducible components of parabolic Hessenberg varieties are in bijection with the irreducible components of the Steinberg variety. All three of these applications extend our geometric understanding of the three varieties at the heart of this paper, a full understanding of which is unknown even for Springer varieties, despite over forty years' worth of work.

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