The cohomology of the regular semisimple variety (Q1378452)

Let \(X\) be a complex algebraic variety with a \(\Gamma\)-action, where \(\Gamma\) is a finite group. Denote by \(H^i(X)\) the complex de Rham cohomology of \(X\) and by \(H^i_c(X)\) the complex cohomology with compact supports, both regarded as \(\Gamma\)-modules. It is known that each cohomology space \(H^i_c(X)\) has a \(\Gamma\)-invariant `weight filtration' whose graded quotients \(Gr_mH^i_c(X)\) give rise to a `weight \(m\)' equivariant Euler characteristic \[ E^\Gamma_{m,c}(X):=\sum_j(-1)^j Gr_m H^j_c(X)\in R(\Gamma). \] Here \(R(\Gamma)\) denotes the Grothendieck ring of \(\Gamma\). The following polynomials are defined (for \(g\in\Gamma\)): \[ P^\Gamma_X(t):=\sum_j H^j(X)t^j,\quad Q^\Gamma_{X,c}(t):=\sum_m E^\Gamma_{m,c}(X)t^m, \] \[ P^\Gamma_X(g,t):=\sum_j\text{trace}(g,H^j(X))t^j,\quad Q^\Gamma_{X,c}(t):=\sum_m\text{trace}(g,E^\Gamma_{m,c}(X))t^m. \] If \(\Gamma=1\) the superscript is dropped and the modules are replaced by their dimensions. The purpose of the paper is, to compute these polynomials in the case where \(X=G_{rs}\), the set of regular semisimple elements of the complex connected reductive algebraic group \(G\), or \(X={\mathfrak G}_{rs}\) the corresponding set in the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak G\) of \(G\). This problem can be reduced to analogous \(W\)-equivariant problems concerning respectively maximal tori or toral algebras \(T_{rs}\) and \({\mathcal T}_{rs}\), and \(W=N_G(T)/T\) the corresponding Weyl group. In Section 4, explicit formulae for the \(P_X(t)\) and \(Q_{X,c}(t)\), \(X\in\{G_{rs},{\mathfrak G}_{rs}\}\) are given in terms of certain polynomials \(P_{T_{rs}}(w,t)\) (in the group case) and \(P_{M_W}(w,t)\) (in the Lie algebra case), which depend on elements \(w\in W\). The polynomials \(P_{M_W}(w,t)\) are explicitly known (see the references in the paper for exceptional groups and groups of type \(A\) and \(B\) as well as the paper [\textit{P. Fleischmann} and \textit{I. Janiszczak}, Manuscr. Math. 72, No. 4, 375-403 (1991; Zbl 0790.52006)] for type \(D\)). On applying his results to the variety of regular semisimple elements in the Lie algebra, \({\mathfrak G}L_n(\mathbb{C})\), the author obtains stability results for the Betti numbers of this variety. In the last section the previous results are applied, with the help of \(\ell\)-adic cohomology, to regular semisimple varieties of algebraic groups over finite fields and their Lie algebras. Under certain technical assumptions, explicit formulae are derived for the number of \(\mathbb{F}_q\)-rational points in the regular semisimple variety of the Lie algebras of the general linear group or Lie algebras of type \(B_n\), \(C_n\). Notice that the corresponding formula in Proposition (8.9) for \(B_n\), \(C_n\) contains a slight misprint. It should read \[ q^{n^2}\prod^n_{k=1} (q^{2k}-1)\sum_{\substack{\lambda=(\lambda^+,\lambda^-)\\ \lambda^+=(i^{m_i}),\;\lambda^-=(j^{n_j})}} \prod_i {q^+_i(-q^{-1})\choose m_i}(q^i-1)^{-m_i}\times\prod_j {q^-_j(-q^{-1})\choose n_j}(q^j+1)^{-n_j}. \] [For a different approach to these formulae see also: \textit{P. Fleischmann} and \textit{I. Janiszczak}, J. Algebra 155, No. 2, 482-528 (1993; Zbl 0809.20007); \textit{P. Fleischmann}, Finite Fields Appl. 4, No. 2, 113-139 (1998)].