On the Humphreys conjecture on support varieties of tilting modules (Q2328170)

Let \(G\) be a simply-connected semisimple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field \(\Bbbk\) of characteristic \(p > 0\), such that \(p\) is greater than the Coxeter number of \(G\). Let \(T \subset B \subset G\) be a fixed pair of a Borel subgroup in \(G\) and a maximal torus in \(B\), let \(\mathbf{X}\) denote the character lattice of \(T\) and let \(\mathbf{X}^+ \subset \mathbf{X}\) be the subset of dominant weights. Furthermore, let \(\dot{G}\) denote the Frobenius twist of \(G\) and let \(G_1\) be the kernel of the Frobenius morphism \(\mathrm{Fr}: G \rightarrow \dot{G}\). In the paper under review, the authors take for any \(\lambda \in \mathbf{X}^+\) the indecomposable tilting \(G\)-module \(\mathrm{T}(\lambda)\) of highest weight \(\lambda\) and consider the support variety \(V_{G_1}(\mathrm{T}(\lambda))\), which is a closed \(\dot{G}\)-stable subvariety of the nilpotent cone \(\mathcal{N}\) of \(\dot{G}\). A conjecture of \textit{J. E. Humphreys}, stated in [AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math. 4, 69--80 (1997; Zbl 0919.17013)] gives a conjectural description of the support varieties \(V_{G_1}(\mathrm{T}(\lambda))\) as closures of certain \(\dot{G}\)-orbits in \(\mathcal{N}\). This conjecture uses Lusztig's bijection between the set of \(\dot{G}\)-orbits in \(\mathcal{N}\) and the set of two-sided cells in the affine Weyl group of \(G\). In an earlier work of the second author [Adv. Math. 329, 392--421 (2018; Zbl 1393.14043)], Humphreys conjecture was proved for \(G = \mathrm{SL}_n(\Bbbk)\) and \(p > n+1\) . The main result of the paper under review is to show that for any \(G\), the support variety \(V_{G_1}(\mathrm{T}(\lambda))\) always contains the variety predicted by Humphreys. Furthermore, there is an integer \(N > 0\) (depending only on the root system of \(G\)) such that if \(p > N\) the two varieties coincide (i.e., Humphreys conjecture is true). At the moment \(N\) cannot be determined explicitly, except for \(G = \mathrm{SL}_n(\Bbbk)\). In addition, the authors also state and prove a variant of Humphreys conjecture involving ``relative support varieties''.