On the equivariant cohomology of Hilbert schemes of points in the plane (Q746906)

Let \(S = \mathbb A^2\) be the affine plane and denote by \(S^{[n]}\) the Hilbert scheme parametrizing zero dimensional subschemes of length \(n\). The Chow ring \(A^*(S^{[n]}, \mathbb Q)\) has been studied from different vantage points over the last twenty years. For example, [\textit{H. Nakajima}, Lectures on Hilbert schemes of points on surfaces. University Lecture Series. 18. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (1999; Zbl 0949.14001)] and [\textit{M. Lehn}, Invent. Math. 136, No. 1, 157--207 (1999; Zbl 0919.14001)] gave a basis and described the ring structure by considering linear operators on the direct sum \(\bigoplus_{n \in \mathbb N} A^*(S^{[n]}, \mathbb Q)\) and their commutativity relations. \textit{G. Ellingsrud} and \textit{S.-A. Strømme} gave a basis [Invent. Math. 87, 343--352 (1987; Zbl 0625.14002)] by using the action of the 2-torus \(T = (k^*)^2\) and the theorem of \textit{A. Białnicki-Birula} [Some properties of the decompositions of algebraic varieties determined by the actions of a torus, Bull. Acad. Polon. Sci. Sér. Sci. Math. Astronom. Phys. 24, 667--674 (1976; Zbl 0355.14015)]. Here the authors restrict to fixed points for the action of the torus \(T\) on \(S = \mathbb A^2\), using operators (creation/destruction operators \(q_i\), the boundary operator \(\partial\) and an auxiliary operator \(\rho\)) on the equivariant Chow ring \(\bigoplus_{n \in \mathbb N} A_T^* (S^{[n]}) \otimes_{A_T^* (\mathrm{pt})} K\), where \(K\) is the fraction field of \(A_T^* (\mathrm{pt})\). By manipulating linear combinations of Young diagrams they recover equivariant analogs of some commutativity relations obtained by \textit{Lehn} and \textit{Nakajima} [loc. cit.]. They also show that the Chow ring bases of \textit{Nakajima} and \textit{Ellingsrud-Strømme} [loc. cit.] are equal up to sign and a normalizing constant. As part of their process, they compute the tangent space to the Hilbert schemes \(S^{[n,n+1]}\) of flags \(z_n \subset z_{n+1}\) of zero dimensional subschemes of length \(n\) and \(n+1\). While the spaces \(S^{[n,n+1]}\) are known to be irreducible by work of \textit{J. Cheah} [Pac. J. Math. 183, No. 1, 39--90 (1998; Zbl 0904.14001)], the authors show that the space \(S_0^{[n,n+1]}\) consisting of subschemes supported at the origin is irreducible. Examples show that the spaces \(S_0^{[p,q]}\) are not irreducible in general.