Gluing affine torus actions via divisorial fans (Q941088)

The authors' aim in this work is to describe normal varieties over an algebraically closed field equipped with an effective algebraic torus action. As they show, any such arises from an object they term a ``divisorial fan'', and conversely that any such object gives rise to an effective torus action. Let \(Y\) be a variety and \(N\) a lattice in a rational vector space \(N_{\mathbb Q}\). Polyhedral divisors are sums \(\sum \Delta_D \otimes D\) where \(D\) is a divisor on \(Y\) and \(\Delta_D\) a polyhedron in \(N_{\mathbb Q}\). A divisorial fan is a set of these such that any two meet in a common face which also belongs to the set (there are additional conditions). Divisors in the fan give rise to affine varieties with torus action as well as equivariant gluing data from which a variety with torus action results.