We classify hyperbolic polynomials in two real variables that admit a transitive action on some component of their hyperbolic level sets. Such surfaces are called special homogeneous surfaces, and they are equipped with a natural Riemannian metric obtained by restricting the negative Hessian of their defining polynomial. Independent of the degree of the polynomials, there exist a finite number of special homogeneous surfaces. They are either flat, or have constant negative curvature.

In this article, we establish the Grothendieck–Serre conjecture over valuation rings: for a reductive group scheme $G$ over a valuation ring $V$ with fraction field $K$, a $G$-torsor over $V$ is trivial if it is trivial over $K$. This result is predicted by the original Grothendieck–Serre conjecture and the resolution of singularities. The novelty of our proof lies in overcoming subtleties brought by general nondiscrete valuation rings. By using flasque resolutions and inducting with local cohomology, we prove a non-Noetherian counterpart of Colliot-Thélène–Sansuc's case of tori. Then, taking advantage of techniques in algebraization, we obtain the passage to the Henselian rank-one case. Finally, we induct on Levi subgroups and use the integrality of rational points of anisotropic groups to reduce to the semisimple anisotropic case, in which we appeal to properties of parahoric subgroups in Bruhat–Tits theory to conclude. In the last section, by using extension properties of reflexive sheaves on formal power series over valuation rings and patching of torsors, we prove a variant of Nisnevich's purity conjecture.

Let $X$ be a smooth projective variety defined over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic $p$ whose tangent bundle is nef. We prove that $X$ admits a smooth morphism $X \to M$ such that the fibers are Fano varieties with nef tangent bundle and $T_M$ is numerically flat. We also prove that extremal contractions exist as smooth morphisms. As an application, we prove that, if the Frobenius morphism can be lifted modulo $p^2$, then $X$ admits, up to a finite étale Galois cover, a smooth morphism onto an ordinary abelian variety whose fibers are products of projective spaces.

We propose a conjectural list of Fano manifolds of Picard number $1$ with pseudoeffective normalised tangent bundles, which we prove in various situations by relating it to the complete divisibility conjecture of Francesco Russo and Fyodor L. Zak on varieties with small codegree. Furthermore, the pseudoeffective thresholds and, hence, the pseudoeffective cones of the projectivised tangent bundles of rational homogeneous spaces of Picard number $1$ are explicitly determined by studying the total dual variety of minimal rational tangents (VMRTs) and the geometry of stratified Mukai flops. As a by-product, we obtain sharp vanishing theorems on the global twisted symmetric holomorphic vector fields on rational homogeneous spaces of Picard number $1$.

The Grothendieck–Serre conjecture predicts that every generically trivial torsor under a reductive group scheme G over a regular local ring R is trivial. We settle it in the case when G is quasi-split and R is unramified. Some of the techniques that allow us to overcome obstacles that have so far kept the mixed characteristic case out of reach include a version of Noether normalization over discrete valuation rings, as well as a suitable presentation lemma for smooth relative curves in mixed characteristic that facilitates passage to the relative affine line via excision and patching.

Let $L$ be a very ample line bundle on a projective scheme $X$ defined over an algebraically closed field $\Bbbk$ with ${\rm char}\,\Bbbk \neq 2$. We say that $(X,L)$ satisfies property $\mathsf {QR}(k)$ if the homogeneous ideal of the linearly normal embedding $X \subset {\mathbb {P}} H^{0} (X,L)$ can be generated by quadrics of rank less than or equal to $k$. Many classical varieties, such as Segre–Veronese embeddings, rational normal scrolls and curves of high degree, satisfy property $\mathsf {QR}(4)$. In this paper, we first prove that if ${\rm char}\,\Bbbk \neq 3$ then $({\mathbb {P}}^{n} , \mathcal {O}_{{\mathbb {P}}^{n}} (d))$ satisfies property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ for all $n \geqslant 1$ and $d \geqslant 2$. We also investigate the asymptotic behavior of property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ for any projective scheme. Specifically, we prove that (i) if $X \subset {\mathbb {P}} H^{0} (X,L)$ is $m$-regular then $(X,L^{d} )$ satisfies property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ for all $d \geqslant m$, and (ii) if $A$ is an ample line bundle on $X$ then $(X,A^{d} )$ satisfies property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ for all sufficiently large even numbers $d$. These results provide affirmative evidence for the expectation that property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ holds for all sufficiently ample line bundles on $X$, as in the cases of Green and Lazarsfeld's condition $\mathrm {N}_p$ and the Eisenbud–Koh–Stillman determininantal presentation in Eisenbud et al. [Determinantal equations for curves of high degree, Amer. J. Math. 110 (1988), 513–539]. Finally, when ${\rm char}\,\Bbbk = 3$ we prove that $({\mathbb {P}}^{n} , \mathcal {O}_{{\mathbb {P}}^{n}} (2))$ fails to satisfy property $\mathsf {QR}(3)$ for all $n \geqslant 3$.

We consider G, a linear algebraic group defined over $\Bbbk $ , an algebraically closed field (ACF). By considering $\Bbbk $ as an embedded residue field of an algebraically closed valued field K, we can associate to it a compact G-space $S^\mu _G(\Bbbk )$ consisting of $\mu $ -types on G. We show that for each $p_\mu \in S^\mu _G(\Bbbk )$ , $\mathrm {Stab}^\mu (p)=\mathrm {Stab}\left (p_\mu \right )$ is a solvable infinite algebraic group when $p_\mu $ is centered at infinity and residually algebraic. Moreover, we give a description of the dimension of $\mathrm {Stab}\left (p_\mu \right )$ in terms of the dimension of p.

In our previous paper we suggested a conjecture relating the structure of the small quantum cohomology ring of a smooth Fano variety of Picard number 1 to the structure of its derived category of coherent sheaves. Here we generalize this conjecture, make it more precise, and support it by the examples of (co)adjoint homogeneous varieties of simple algebraic groups of Dynkin types $\mathrm {A}_n$ and $\mathrm {D}_n$, that is, flag varieties $\operatorname {Fl}(1,n;n+1)$ and isotropic orthogonal Grassmannians $\operatorname {OG}(2,2n)$; in particular, we construct on each of those an exceptional collection invariant with respect to the entire automorphism group. For $\operatorname {OG}(2,2n)$ this is the first exceptional collection proved to be full.

Let k be a field, $x_1, \dots , x_n$ be independent variables and let $L_n = k(x_1, \dots , x_n)$ . The symmetric group $\operatorname {\Sigma }_n$ acts on $L_n$ by permuting the variables, and the projective linear group $\operatorname {PGL}_2$ acts by

$$ \begin{align*} \begin{pmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{pmatrix}\, \colon x_i \longmapsto \frac{a x_i + b}{c x_i + d} \end{align*} $$

$i = 1, \dots , n$

$L_n^{\operatorname {PGL}_2}$

$S \subset \operatorname {\Sigma }_n$

$L_n^S$

$K_n^S$

$n \geqslant 5,$

$L_n^S$

$K_n^S$

$\{ 1, \dots , n \}$

$n \leqslant 4$

This work is concerned with Bielawski’s hyperkähler slices in the cotangent bundles of homogeneous affine varieties. One can associate such a slice with the data of a complex semisimple Lie group $G$, a reductive subgroup $H\subseteq G$, and a Slodowy slice $S\subseteq \mathfrak{g}:=\text{Lie}(G)$, defining it to be the hyperkähler quotient of $T^{\ast }(G/H)\times (G\times S)$ by a maximal compact subgroup of $G$. This hyperkähler slice is empty in some of the most elementary cases (e.g., when $S$ is regular and $(G,H)=(\text{SL}_{n+1},\text{GL}_{n})$, $n\geqslant 3$), prompting us to seek necessary and sufficient conditions for non-emptiness.

We give a spherical-geometric characterization of the non-empty hyperkähler slices that arise when $S=S_{\text{reg}}$ is a regular Slodowy slice, proving that non-emptiness is equivalent to the so-called $\mathfrak{a}$-regularity of $(G,H)$. This $\mathfrak{a}$-regularity condition is formulated in several equivalent ways, one being a concrete condition on the rank and complexity of $G/H$. We also provide a classification of the $\mathfrak{a}$-regular pairs $(G,H)$ in which $H$ is a reductive spherical subgroup. Our arguments make essential use of Knop’s results on moment map images and Losev’s algorithm for computing Cartan spaces.

We collect evidence in support of a conjecture of Griffiths, Green, and Kerr on the arithmetic of extension classes of limiting mixed Hodge structures arising from semistable degenerations over a number field. After briefly summarizing how a result of Iritani implies this conjecture for a collection of hypergeometric Calabi–Yau threefold examples studied by Doran and Morgan, the authors investigate a sequence of (non-hypergeometric) examples in dimensions $1\,\le \,d\,\le \,6$ arising from Katz's theory of the middle convolution. A crucial role is played by the Mumford-Tate group (which is ${{G}_{2}}$ ) of the family of 6-folds, and the theory of boundary components of Mumford–Tate domains.

Let $G$ be an algebraic real reductive group and $Z$ a real spherical $G$-variety, that is, it admits an open orbit for a minimal parabolic subgroup $P$. We prove a local structure theorem for $Z$. In the simplest case where $Z$ is homogeneous, the theorem provides an isomorphism of the open $P$-orbit with a bundle $Q\times _{L}S$. Here $Q$ is a parabolic subgroup with Levi decomposition $L\ltimes U$, and $S$ is a homogeneous space for a quotient $D=L/L_{n}$ of $L$, where $L_{n}\subseteq L$ is normal, such that $D$ is compact modulo center.

We prove that the group of normalized cohomological invariants of degree $3$ modulo the subgroup of semidecomposable invariants of a semisimple split linear algebraic group $G$ is isomorphic to the torsion part of the Chow group of codimension-$2$ cycles of the respective versal $G$-flag. In particular, if $G$ is simple, we show that this factor group is isomorphic to the group of indecomposable invariants of $G$. As an application, we construct nontrivial cohomological invariants for indecomposable central simple algebras.

For a fixed parabolic subalgebra 𝔭 of we prove that the centre of the principal block 𝒪0𝔭 of the parabolic category 𝒪 is naturally isomorphic to the cohomology ring H*(ℬ𝔭) of the corresponding Springer fibre. We give a diagrammatic description of 𝒪0𝔭 for maximal parabolic 𝔭 and give an explicit isomorphism to Braden’s description of the category PervB(G(k,n)) of Schubert-constructible perverse sheaves on Grassmannians. As a consequence Khovanov’s algebra ℋn is realised as the endomorphism ring of some object from PervB(G(n,n)) which corresponds under localisation and the Riemann–Hilbert correspondence to a full projective–injective module in the corresponding category 𝒪0𝔭. From there one can deduce that Khovanov’s tangle invariants are obtained from the more general functorial invariants in [C. Stroppel, Categorification of the Temperley Lieb category, tangles, and cobordisms via projective functors, Duke Math. J. 126(3) (2005), 547–596] by restriction.

The description of irreducible representations of a group G can be seen as a problem in harmonic analysis; namely, decomposing a suitable space of functions on G into irreducibles for the action of G×G by left and right multiplication. For a split p-adic reductive group G over a local non-archimedean field, unramified irreducible smooth representations are in bijection with semisimple conjugacy classes in the ‘Langlands dual’ group. We generalize this description to an arbitrary spherical variety X of G as follows. Irreducible unramified quotients of the space are in natural ‘almost bijection’ with a number of copies of AX*/WX, the quotient of a complex torus by the ‘little Weyl group’ of X. This leads to a description of the Hecke module of unramified vectors (a weak analog of geometric results of Gaitsgory and Nadler), and an understanding of the phenomenon that representations ‘distinguished’ by certain subgroups are functorial lifts. In the course of the proof, rationality properties of spherical varieties are examined and a new interpretation is given for the action, defined by Knop, of the Weyl group on the set of Borel orbits.

We study the Chow group of zero-dimensional cycles for projective homogeneous varieties of semisimple algebraic groups. We show that in many cases this group has no torsion.

We give a short proof of Totaro's theorem that every ${{E}_{8}}$-torsor over a field $k$ becomes trivial over a finite separable extension of $k$ of degree dividing $d\left( {{E}_{g}} \right)={{2}^{6}}{{3}^{2}}5$.

Let $X\subset \mathbb{P}^r$ be a closed scheme in projective space whose homogeneous ideal is generated by quadrics. We say that X (or its ideal IX) satisfies the condition N2,p if the syzygies of IX are linear for p steps. We show that if X satisfies N2,p then a zero-dimensional or one-dimensional intersection of X with a plane of dimension $\leq p$ is 2-regular. This extends a result of Green and Lazarsfeld. We give conditions when the syzygies of X restrict to the syzygies of the intersection. Many of our results also work for ideals generated by forms of higher degree. As applications, we bound the p for which some well-known projective varieties satisfy N2,p. Another application, carried out by us in a different paper, is a step in the classification of 2-regular reduced projective schemes. Extending a result of Fröberg, we determine which monomial ideals satisfy N2,p. We also apply Green's ‘linear syzygy theorem’ to deduce a relation between the resolutions of IX and $I_{X\cup \Gamma}$ for a scheme Γ, and apply the result to bound the number of intersection points of certain pairs of varieties such as rational normal scrolls.

We give a full description of the Chow ring of the complex Cayley plane $\mathbb{O}\mathbb{P}^2$. For this, we describe explicitly the most interesting of its Schubert varieties and compute their intersection products. Translating our results into the Borel presentation, i.e. in terms of Weyl group invariants, we are able to compute the degree of the variety of reductions Y8 introduced by the current authors in arXiv: math.AG/0306328.

We determine an explicit cell decomposition of the wonderful compactification of a semisimple algebraic group. To do this we first identify the $B\,\times \,B$-orbits using the generalized Bruhat decomposition of a reductive monoid. From there we show how each cell is made up from $B\,\times \,B$-orbits.