Hyperpolygonal arrangements

Configurations and arrangements of linear subspaces (14N20) Relations with arrangements of hyperplanes (32S22) Complex surface and hypersurface singularities (32S25) Arrangements of points, flats, hyperplanes (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C35)

Review text

In the paper under review the authors study a family of real central hyperplane arrangements arising from hyperpolygon spaces. Let \(V=\mathbb R^n\), and let \(x_1,\ldots,x_n\) denote the dual basis of the standard basis of \(V\). For a non-empty subset \(I\subseteq [n]=\{1,\ldots,n\}\), set\N\[\NH_I=\ker\left(\sum_{i\in I}x_i-\sum_{j\in [n]\setminus I}x_j\right).\N\]\NThe hyperpolygonal arrangement is defined by\N\[\N\mathcal H_n = \{\ker x_i\mid i\in[n]\} \cup \{H_I\mid \varnothing\neq I\subseteq[n]\}.\N\]\NThus \(\mathcal H_n\) consists of the coordinate hyperplanes and all hyperplanes given by signed sums with coefficients \(+1\) on \(I\) and \(-1\) on its complement. These arrangements encode the wall structure for stability parameters of the so-called hyperpolygon spaces.\N\NThe main result gives a complete list of several standard arrangement-theoretic properties for \(\mathcal H_n\). More precisely, the authors prove that \(\mathcal H_n\) is supersolvable if and only if \(n\leq 2\), inductively factored if and only if \(n\leq 3\), inductively free if and only if \(n\leq 4\), free if and only if \(n\leq 5\), and simplicial if and only if \(n\leq 4\). Moreover, \(\mathcal H_n\) is not a \(K(\pi,1)\)-arrangement for \(n\geq 6\). The case \(n=5\) remains open for the \(K(\pi,1)\) property. It is worth noting that \(\mathcal H_5\) is the Edelman--Reiner counterexample to Orlik's conjecture that restrictions of free arrangements are free.\N\NThe proof uses several identifications in small rank. The arrangement \(\mathcal H_3\) is shown to be linearly isomorphic to the connected subgraph arrangement associated with the cycle \(C_3\), while \(\mathcal H_4\) is linearly isomorphic to the reflection arrangement of type \(D_4\). For \(n\geq 6\), the authors exhibit a generic rank-three localization of \(\mathcal H_n\). Since freeness and the \(K(\pi,1)\) property are local, this gives the corresponding negative results and excludes the stronger properties as well.\N\NThe paper also proves that each \(\mathcal H_n\) is projectively unique over \(\mathbb R\). Hence, in this class, the intersection lattice determines the real projective realization. As a consequence, properties such as freeness and asphericity are combinatorial within the class of arrangements whose underlying matroid is realized by some \(\mathcal H_n\). In addition, the authors prove that all hyperpolygonal arrangements are combinatorially formal.

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