On the variety of almost commuting nilpotent matrices (Q707914)

Let \(V\) be an \(n\)-dimensional vector space over an algebraically closed field and \(\mathcal N\) the cone of nilpotent endomorphisms of \(V\). The author studies the variety \(\mathcal A = \{ (X,Y,i,j) \in \mathcal N\times\mathcal N\times V\times V^* \mid [X, Y] = ij \}\), where the elements of \(V\) and \(V^*\) are regarded as column and row vectors, respectively. This variety is closely related to the variety of pairs of nilpotent \(n\times n\) matrices with commutator of rank at most \(1\). The main result of this article is that \(\mathcal A\) has \(n\) irreducible components: two of dimension \(n^2+n-1\) corresponding to the case in which \(X\) and \(Y\) commute, and \(n-2\) components of dimension \(n^2+n-2\) corresponding to non-commutative pairs. The proof of this result exploits a certain map to the zero fiber of the Hilbert scheme of points and study the image and the fibers. In the appendix, the author describes the irreducible components of the variety \(S=\{ (A,B,i,j) \in \mathcal N\times\mathcal N\times V\times V^*\mid A+B = ij \}\).