Geometric aspects of iterated matrix multiplication (Q298019)

Let \(n,q>0\) be integers, and let \(IMM_q^n\) be the polynomial on \(n\)-tuples of \(q\times q\) matrices whose value on \((X_1,\dots,X_n)\) is \(\text{tr}(X_n\cdots X_1)\). Then \(IMM_q^n\) is a homogeneous polynomial in \(nq^2\) variables; if we let \(V\) be the complex vector space of \(n\)-tuples of \(q\times q\) matrices, then we write \(IMM_q^n\in S^{n}V\). In the work under review, some geometric properties of \(IMM_q^n\) are given. The tools used are representation theory and algebraic geometry. Geometric Complexity Theory seeks to study polynomials which are characterized by their symmetry group. Recall that \(\text{GL}(V)\) acts on \(S^nV\); the symmetry group \(\mathcal{S}\) of \(IMM_q^n\in S^nV\) is the stabilizer of \(IMM_q^n\) under this action. A main result in this paper is that \(\mathcal{S}\cong \mathcal{S}_0\rtimes D_n\), where \(\mathcal{S}_0\) is the connected component of the identity of \(\mathcal{S}\) and \(D_n\) is the group of symmetries of a regular \(n\)-gon. Alternatively, any polynomial in \(S^nV\) which is stabilized by \(\mathcal{S}_0\) is shown to be a complex multiple of \(IMM_q^n\), hence \(IMM_q^n\) is characterized by its stabilizer. The remainder of the results concerns the hypersurface determined by the polynomial. Let \(\mathcal{I}mm_q^n\) be the hypersurface \(V(IMM_q^n)\subseteq\mathbb{P}V^*\). It is shown that its dual variety \((\mathcal{I}mm_q^n)^{\vee}\) is also a hypersurface in \(\mathbb{P}V^*\). Let \(\mathcal{S}ing_q^n\) denote the singular locus of the affine cone in \(V^*\) over \(V(IMM_q^n)\subseteq\mathbb{P}V^*\). Then a description of the irreducible components of \(\mathcal{S}ing_q^n\) in terms of certain nilpotent representations of the Euclidean equioriented quiver and dimensions are computed; examples are provided for \(n\leq 3\). Finally, let \(\mathcal{W}=V(J)\) where \(J\) is the ideal of \(IMM_q^n\) generated by all \(n-2\) order partial derivatives. The irreducible components of \(\mathcal{W}\) are given, and it is shown that \(\text{dim} \mathcal{W}=\lfloor (5/4)q^2 \rfloor\).