Free arrangements and coefficients of characteristic polynomials (Q2435114)

Let \(\mathcal{A}\) be an arrangement in a vector space \(V\) of dimension \(n\) over a field \(\mathbb{K}\) and \(S=\mathbb{K}[z_1, \dots , z_n]\). A multiarrangement \((\mathcal{A}, m)\) is a pair of an arrangement \(\mathcal{A}\) and a map \(m:\mathcal{A}\to \mathbb{Z}_{\geq 0}\), called a multiplicity. A vector field \[ \delta\in \mathrm{Der}_\mathbb{K}(S)=\bigoplus_{i=1}^n S\frac{\partial}{\partial z_i} \] is called a logarithmic vector field tangent to \(\mathcal{A}\) with multiplicity \(m\) if \(\delta(\alpha_H)\in (\alpha_H^{m(H)})\subset S\) for each \(H\in\mathcal{A}\), where \(\alpha_H\) is a linear form such that \(\ker\alpha_H=H\). A logarithmic vector field \[ \delta=\sum_{i=1}^n f_i\frac{\partial}{\partial z_i} \] is said to be homogeneous of degree \(d\) if \(f_1, \dots, f_n\) are homogeneous polynomials of degree \(d\). The set \(D(\mathcal{A}, m)\) of logarithmic vector fields tangent to \(\mathcal{A}\) with multiplicity \(m\) is an \(S\)-module. A multiarrangement \((\mathcal{A}, m)\) is called free with exponents \((d_1,\dots, d_n)\) if \(D(\mathcal{A}, m)\) is a free \(S\)-module with a homogeneous basis \(\delta_1,\dots, \delta_n\in D(\mathcal{A}, m)\) such that \(\deg\delta_i=d_i\) for \(i=1,\dots , n\). An arrangement \(\mathcal{A}\) is free if the multiarrangement \((\mathcal{A}, 1)\) with the constant multiplicity \(1\) is free. Define \(\mathcal{A}^{H_0}\) to be the restriction of \(\mathcal{A}\setminus\{H_0\}\) on \(H_0\) and \({\mathbf d}_{H_0}\mathcal{A}\) to be the restriction of \(\mathcal{A}\) on a hyperplane \(H'\) parallel to \(H_0\). Denote by \(b_2({\mathbf d}_{H_0}\mathcal{A})\) and \( \sigma_2(\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0})\) the coefficients of \(t^{n-2}\) in the characteristic polynomials \(\chi({\mathbf d}_{H_0}\mathcal{A}, t)\) and \(\chi\big((\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0}), t\big)\) respectively. Considering the ``inverse'' of a result of Ziegler that the multirestriction of a free arrangement is free, the authors prove a new characterization of freeness of an arrangement \(\mathcal{A}\) via its multirestriction \((\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0})\) and characteristic polynomials, which generalizes results of \textit{M. Schulze} [Compos. Math. 148, No. 3, 799--806 (2012; Zbl 1261.14028)] and \textit{M. Yoshinaga} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 37, No. 1, 126--134 (2005; Zbl 1071.52019)]. Assume that \(\mathcal{A}\) is a central arrangement and \((\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0})\) is free. The main theorem says that the following four statements are equivalent:{\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(\mathcal{A}\) is free.\item[(2)] \(\chi({\mathbf d}_{H_0}\mathcal{A}, t)=\chi(\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0}, t)\).\item[(3)] \(b_2({\mathbf d}_{H_0}\mathcal{A})=\sigma_2(\mathcal{A}^{H_0}, m^{H_0})\).\item[(4)] \(\mathcal{A}\) is locally free in codimension three along \(H_0\). \end{itemize}} The authors also presented some related results and examples.