arXiv subjects

Tara S. Holm

Publications and source records attributed to Tara S. Holm.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Equivariant cohomological rigidity for four-dimensional Hamiltonian $\mathbf{S^1}$-manifolds

For manifolds equipped with group actions, we have the following natural question: To what extent does the equivariant cohomology determine the equivariant diffeotype? We resolve this question for Hamiltonian circle actions on compact, connected symplectic four-manifolds. They are equivariantly diffeomorphic if and only if their equivariant cohomology rings are isomorphic as algebras over the equivariant cohomology of a point. In fact, we prove a stronger claim: each isomorphism between their equivariant cohomology rings is induced by an equivariant diffeomorphism.

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arXiv2024

On infinite staircases in toric symplectic four-manifolds

An influential result of McDuff and Schlenk asserts that the function that encodes when a four-dimensional symplectic ellipsoid can be embedded into a four-dimensional ball has a remarkable structure: the function has infinitely many corners, determined by the odd-index Fibonacci numbers, that fit together to form an infinite staircase. This work has recently led to considerable interest in understanding when the ellipsoid embedding function for other symplectic 4-manifolds is partly described by an infinite staircase. We provide a general framework for analyzing this question for a large family of targets, called finite type convex toric domains, which we prove generalizes the class of closed toric symplectic 4-manifolds. When the target is of finite type, we prove that any infinite staircase must have a unique accumulation point a_0, given as the solution to an explicit quadratic equation. Moreover, we prove that the embedding function at a_0 must be equal to the classical volume lower bound. In particular, our result gives an obstruction to the existence of infinite staircases that we show is powerful. In the special case of rational convex toric domains, we can say more. We conjecture a complete answer to the question of existence of infinite staircases, in terms of six families that are distinguished by the fact that their moment polygon is reflexive. We then provide a uniform proof of the existence of infinite staircases for our six families, using two tools. For the first, we use recursive families of almost toric fibrations to find symplectic embeddings. For the second tool, we find recursive families of convex lattice paths that provide obstructions to embeddings. We conclude by reducing our conjecture that these are the only infinite staircases among rational convex toric domains to a question in number theory related to a classic work of Hardy and Littlewood.

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arXiv2021

Infinite staircases for Hirzebruch surfaces

We consider the embedding capacity functions $c_{H_b}(z)$ for symplectic embeddings of ellipsoids of eccentricity $z$ into the family of nontrivial rational Hirzebruch surfaces $H_b$ with symplectic form parametrized by $b\in [0,1)$. This function was known to have an infinite staircase in the monotone cases ($b= 0$ and $ b= 1/3$). It is also known that for each $b$ there is at most one value of $z$ that can be the accumulation point of such a staircase. In this manuscript, we identify three sequences of open, disjoint, blocked $b$-intervals, consisting of $b$-parameters where the embedding capacity function for $H_b$ does not contain an infinite staircase. There is one sequence in each of the intervals $(0,1/5)$, $(1/5,1/3)$, and $(1/3,1)$. We then establish six sequences of associated infinite staircases, one occurring at each endpoint of the blocked $b$-intervals. The staircase numerics are variants of those in the Fibonacci staircase for the projective plane (the case $b=0$). We also show that there is no staircase at the point $b=1/5$, even though this value is not blocked. The focus of this paper is to develop techniques, both graphical and numeric, that allow identification of potential staircases, and then to understand the obstructions well enough to prove that the purported staircases really do have the required properties. A subsequent paper will explore in more depth the set of $b$ that admit infinite staircases.

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arXiv2019

The equivariant cohomology of complexity one spaces

Complexity one spaces are an important class of examples in symplectic geometry. Karshon and Tolman classify them in terms of combinatorial and topological data. In this paper, we compute the equivariant cohomology for any complexity one space $T^{n-1}$ acting on $M^{2n}$. The key step is to compute the equivariant cohomology for any Hamiltonian $S^1$ action on $M^4$.

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arXiv2018

Mayer-Vietoris sequences and equivariant K-theory rings of toric varieties

We apply a Mayer-Vietoris sequence argument to identify the Atiyah-Segal equivariant complex K-theory rings of certain toric varieties with rings of integral piecewise Laurent polynomials on the associated fans. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for this identification to hold for toric varieties of complex dimension 2, including smooth and singular cases. We prove that it always holds for smooth toric varieties, regardless of whether or not the fan is polytopal or complete. Finally, we introduce the notion of fans with "distant singular cones," and prove that the identification holds for them. The identification has already been made by Hararda, Holm, Ray and Williams in the case of divisive weighted projective spaces, in addition to enlarging the class of toric varieties for which the identification holds, this work provides an example in which the identification fails. We make every effort to ensure that our work is rich in examples.

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arXiv2017

Circle actions on symplectic four-manifolds

We complete the classification of Hamiltonian torus and circle actions on symplectic four-dimensional manifolds. Following work of Delzant and Karshon, Hamiltonian circle and 2-torus actions on any fixed simply connected symplectic four-manifold were characterized by Karshon, Kessler and Pinsonnault. What remains is to study the case of Hamiltonian actions on blowups of S^2-bundles over a Riemann surface of positive genus. These do not admit 2-torus actions. In this paper, we characterize Hamiltonian circle actions on them. We then derive combinatorial results on the existence and counting of these actions. As a by-product, we provide an algorithm that determines the g-reduced form of a blowup form. Our work is a combination of "soft" equivariant and combinatorial techniques, using the momentum map and related data, with "hard" holomorphic techniques, including Gromov-Witten invariants.

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arXiv2016

Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics

In this manuscript, I introduce and describe the work of mathematicians and mathematics educators in the group Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (TPSE Math or TPSE, pronounced "tipsy", for short). TPSE aims to coordinate and drive constructive change in education in the mathematical sciences at two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities across the nation. It seeks to build on the successes of the entire mathematical sciences community. This manuscript reviews the events that led to the founding of TPSE Math and articulates its vision and mission. In its first phase with national events, TPSE found broad consensus with the mathematical sciences community on the challenges facing the community. Learning from educational transformations experiences in other scientific fields, and with the support of the Mathematical Advisory Group of 34 mathematical sciences department chairs and leaders, TPSE moves into a second phase focused on action. This is a snapshot in time, and TPSE's ongoing activities will continue to be documented and disseminated. The piece concludes with a reflection of the impact that my involvement in this work has had on my career.

math.HO↗

arXiv2015

The equivariant $K$-theory and cobordism rings of divisive weighted projective spaces

We apply results of Harada, Holm and Henriques to prove that the Atiyah-Segal equivariant complex $K$-theory ring of a divisive weighted projective space (which is singular for nontrivial weights) is isomorphic to the ring of integral piecewise Laurent polynomials on the associated fan. Analogues of this description hold for other complex-oriented equivariant cohomology theories, as we confirm in the case of homotopical complex cobordism, which is the universal example. We also prove that the Borel versions of the equivariant $K$-theory and complex cobordism rings of more general singular toric varieties, namely those whose integral cohomology is concentrated in even dimensions, are isomorphic to rings of appropriate piecewise formal power series. Finally, we confirm the corresponding descriptions for any smooth, compact, projective toric variety, and rewrite them in a face ring context. In many cases our results agree with those of Vezzosi and Vistoli for algebraic $K$-theory, Anderson and Payne for operational $K$-theory, Krishna and Uma for algebraic cobordism, and Gonzalez and Karu for operational cobordism; as we proceed, we summarize the details of these coincidences.

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arXiv2014

The fundamental group and Betti numbers of toric origami manifolds

Toric origami manifolds are characterized by origami templates, which are combinatorial models built by gluing polytopes together along facets. In this paper, we examine the topology of orientable toric oigami manifolds with coorientable folding hypersurface. We determine the fundamental group. In our previous paper [HP], we studied the ordinary and equivariant cohomology rings of simply connected toric origami manifolds. We conclude this paper by computing some Betti numbers in the non-simply connected case.

math.SG↗

arXiv2013

Simple Hamiltonian manifolds

A simple Hamiltonian manifold is a closed connected symplectic manifold equipped with a Hamiltonian action of a torus T with moment map Phi: M-->t^*, such that the fixed set M^T has exactly two connected components, denoted M_0 and M_1. We study the differential and symplectic geometry of simple Hamiltonian manifolds, including a large number of examples.

math.SG↗

arXiv2012

Torsion in the full orbifold K-theory of abelian symplectic quotients

Let (M,ω,Φ) be a Hamiltonian T-space and let H be a closed Lie subtorus of T. Under some technical hypotheses on the moment map Φ, we prove that there is no additive torsion in the integral full orbifold K-theory of the orbifold symplectic quotient [M//H]. Our main technical tool is an extension to the case of moment map level sets the well-known result that components of the moment map of a Hamiltonian T-space M are Morse-Bott functions on M. As first applications, we conclude that a large class of symplectic toric orbifolds, as well as certain S^1-quotients of GKM spaces, have integral full orbifold K-theory that is free of additive torsion. Finally, we introduce the notion of semilocally Delzant which allows us to formulate sufficient conditions under which the hypotheses of the main theorem hold. We illustrate our results using low-rank coadjoint orbits of type A and B.

math.SG↗

arXiv2009

The Full Orbifold $K$-theory of Abelian Symplectic Quotients

In their 2007 paper, Jarvis, Kaufmann, and Kimura defined the full orbifold $K$-theory of an orbifold ${\mathfrak X}$, analogous to the Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology of ${\mathfrak X}$ in that it uses the obstruction bundle as a quantum correction to the multiplicative structure. We give an explicit algorithm for the computation of this orbifold invariant in the case when ${\mathfrak X}$ arises as an abelian symplectic quotient. Our methods are integral $K$-theoretic analogues of those used in the orbifold cohomology case by Goldin, Holm, and Knutson in 2005. We rely on the $K$-theoretic Kirwan surjectivity methods developed by Harada and Landweber. As a worked class of examples, we compute the full orbifold $K$-theory of weighted projective spaces that occur as a symplectic quotient of a complex affine space by a circle. Our computations hold over the integers, and in the particular case of weighted projective spaces, we show that the associated invariant is torsion-free.

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arXiv2008

Conjugation spaces and edges of compatible torus actions

Duistermaat introduced the concept of ``real locus'' of a Hamiltonian manifold. In that and in others' subsequent works, it has been shown that many of the techniques developed in the symplectic category can be used to study real loci, so long as the coefficient ring is restricted to the integers modulo 2. It turns out that these results seem not necessarily to depend on the ambient symplectic structure, but rather to be topological in nature. This observation prompts the definition of ``conjugation space'' in a paper of the two authors with V. Puppe. Our main theorem in this paper gives a simple criterion for recognizing when a topological space is a conjugation space.

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arXiv2007

Act globally, compute locally: group actions, fixed points, and localization

Localization is a topological technique that allows us to make global equivariant computations in terms of local data at the fixed points. For example, we may compute a global integral by summing integrals at each of the fixed points. Or, if we know that the global integral is zero, we conclude that the sum of the local integrals is zero. This often turns topological questions into combinatorial ones and vice versa. This expository article features several instances of localization that occur at the crossroads of symplectic and algebraic geometry on the one hand, and combinatorics and representation theory on the other. The examples come largely from the symplectic category, with particular attention to toric varieties. In the spirit of the 2006 International Conference on Toric Topology at Osaka City University, the main goal of this exposition is to exhibit toric techniques that arise in symplectic geometry.

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arXiv2007

Orbifold cohomology of abelian symplectic reductions and the case of weighted projective spaces

These notes accompany a lecture about the topology of symplectic (and other) quotients. The aim is two-fold: first to advertise the ease of computation in the symplectic category; and second to give an account of some new computations for weighted projective spaces. We start with a brief exposition of how orbifolds arise in the symplectic category, and discuss the techniques used to understand their topology. We then show how these results can be used to compute the Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology ring of abelian symplectic reductions. We conclude by comparing the several rings associated to a weighted projective space. We make these computations directly, avoiding any mention of a stacky fan or of a labeled moment polytope.

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arXiv2007

Orbifold cohomology of torus quotients

We introduce the_inertial cohomology ring_ NH^*_T(Y) of a stably almost complex manifold carrying an action of a torus T. We show that in the case that Y has a locally free action by T, the inertial cohomology ring is isomorphic to the Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology ring H_{CR}^*(Y/T) of the quotient orbifold Y/T. For Y a compact Hamiltonian T-space, we extend to orbifold cohomology two techniques that are standard in ordinary cohomology. We show that NH^*_T(Y) has a natural ring surjection onto H_{CR}^*(Y//T), where Y//T is the symplectic reduction of Y by T at a regular value of the moment map. We extend to NH^*_T(Y) the graphical GKM calculus (as detailed in e.g. [Harada-Henriques-Holm]), and the kernel computations of [Tolman-Weitsman, Goldin]. We detail this technology in two examples: toric orbifolds and weight varieties, which are symplectic reductions of flag manifolds. The Chen-Ruan ring has been computed for toric orbifolds, with \Q coefficients, in [Borisov-Chen-Smith]); symplectic toric orbifolds obtained by reduction by a connected torus (though with different computational methods), and extend them to \Z coefficients in certain cases, including weighted projective spaces.

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arXiv2004

Computation of generalized equivariant cohomologies of Kac-Moody flag varieties

In 1998, Goresky, Kottwitz, and MacPherson showed that for certain projective varieties X equipped with an algebraic action of a complex torus T, the equivariant cohomology ring H_T(X) can be described by combinatorial data obtained from its orbit decomposition. In this paper, we generalize their theorem in three different ways. First, our group G need not be a torus. Second, our space X is an equivariant stratified space, along with some additional hypotheses on the attaching maps. Third, and most important, we allow for generalized equivariant cohomology theories E_G^* instead of H_T^*. For these spaces, we give a combinatorial description of E_G(X) as a subring of \prod E_G(F_i), where the F_i are certain invariant subspaces of X. Our main examples are the flag varieties G/P of Kac-Moody groups G, with the action of the torus of G. In this context, the F_i are the T-fixed points and E_G^* is a T-equivariant complex oriented cohomology theory, such as H_T^*, K_T^* or MU_T^*. We detail several explicit examples.

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arXiv2004

The equivariant cohomology of hypertoric varieties and their real loci

Let M be a Hamiltonian T space with a proper moment map, bounded below in some component. In this setting, we give a combinatorial description of the T-equivariant cohomology of M, extending results of Goresky, Kottwitz and MacPherson and techniques of Tolman and Weitsman. Moreover, when M is equipped with an antisymplectic involution σanticommuting with the action of T, we also extend to this noncompact setting the ``mod 2'' versions of these results to the real locus Q:= M^σof M. We give applications of these results to the theory of hypertoric varieties.

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