The nil Hecke ring and cohomology of \(G/P\) for a Kac-Moody group \(G\) (Q1100544)

Let \(\mathfrak g=\mathfrak g(A)\) be the Kac-Moody algebra corresponding to a symmetrizable generalized Cartan matrix \(A\). By \(\mathfrak h\subset\mathfrak b\subseteq\mathfrak p\) we shall denote the Cartan subalgebra, the Borel subalgebra, and a parabolic subalgebra. \(H\subset B\subseteq P\) will be the corresponding subgroups. Finally, let \(W\) denote the Weyl group associated to \((\mathfrak g,\mathfrak h)\). The main goal of this paper is to describe the cohomology \(H^*(G/B;\mathbb C)\) (and more generally \(H^*(G/P;\mathbb C)\) and even \(H^*(X;\mathbb C)\) of arbitrary left \(B\)-stable closed subspaces \(X\subset G/P)\). The authors describe (1) the ring structure of \(H^*(G/B;\mathbb C)\) (more precisely they give an explicit formula for the product of the Schubert cohomology classes), (2) the \(W\)-module structure of \(H^*(G/B;\mathbb C)\), (3) \(\mathcal A\)-module structure of \(H^*(G/B;\mathbb C)\), where \(\mathcal A\) is the algebra of Bernstein-Gel'fand-Gel'fand type operators [see Russ. Math. Surv. 28, No. 3, 1--26 (1973); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 28, No. 3(171), 3--26 (1973; Zbl 0286.57025)], which are called here Hecke operators. The results are generalizations from the finite case (i.e. the case of a classical Cartan matrix). But because in the infinite case there appeared serious obstacles, the authors had to develop quite new methods. The main algebraic tool which appeared in their investigations was a ring very similar to a Hecke ring. Because of certain nilpotency in this ring the authors decided to call it nil Hecke ring. The results of this paper were already announced in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 1543--1545 (1986; Zbl 0588.17012) under the same title.