Parabolic conjugation and commuting varieties (Q2301817)

Let \(K\) be an arbitrary infinite field, let \(P\) be a parabolic subgroup of \(\mathrm{GL}_n(K)\) with block sizes \(\underline{b}=(b_1,\ldots,b_p)\), and let \(\mathfrak{p}\) be its Lie algebra. Let \(\mathcal{N}\) be the nilpotent cone of \(\mathfrak{gl}_n(K)\). In this article, the authors determine for which block sizes \(\underline{b}\) the parabolic subgroup \(P\) acts on \(\mathcal{N}_P=\mathcal{N} \cap \mathfrak{p}\) with finitely many orbits. In particular, they show that if \(P\) has at least six blocks, at least three blocks of size at least \(2\), or at least two blocks of size at least \(6\), then \(\mathcal{N}_P\) has infinitely many \(P\)-orbits. To show this result, the authors first prove a series of reductions on the block sizes \(\underline{b}\) of \(P\), and then they prove the remaining cases by translating their Lie-theoretical problem within the framework of the theory of quiver representations. Along the way, the authors also determine for which block sizes \(\underline{b}\) a Levi subgroup \(L_P\) of \(P\) acts on the nilpotent cone \(\mathcal{N}_P\) and on the nilradical \(\mathfrak{n}_P\) of \(\mathfrak{p}\) with finitely many orbits. (The case of \(P\) acting on \(\mathfrak{n}_P\) was already addressed by \textit{L. Hille} and \textit{G. Röhrle} [Transform. Groups 4, No. 1, 35--52 (1999; Zbl 0924.20035)].) The main motivation of the authors for these classification results comes from the study of the commuting varieties and the punctual Hilbert schemes. In the last section they study how the dimension of the nilpotent commuting variety of \(\mathfrak{p}\) and of certain related punctual Hilbert schemes depends on the fact that \(P\) acts on \(\mathcal{N}_P\) with finitely many orbits or not.