Invariant divisors and homology of compact complex toric varieties (Q1356247)

The paper deals with the homological structure of a compact complex toric variety \(X\), i.e., \(X\) is an irreducible normal algebraic variety on which an algebraic torus \(T= \mathbb{C}^{*d}\) operates algebraically with an open orbit. The authors focus their considerations on the non-smooth case. While in the smooth case all Betti numbers of \(X\) are combinatorial invariants of the fan which defines \(X\), this is no longer true in the general situation; there are examples where \(b_2(X)=0\). But the authors claim that all Betti numbers of \(X\) are still of linear type, that means if two fans in \(\mathbb{R}^d\) are linear equivalent in a natural sense, then the Betti numbers of the associated toric varieties agree. The Poincaré duality homomorphisms \(P_j:H^j (X)\to H_{2d-j} (X)\), \(d= \dim_\mathbb{C} X\), may fail to be isomorphisms. The map \(P_2\) is in general only injective: The cohomology group \(H^2(X)\) is isomorphic to the divisor class group of \(T\)-invariant Cartier divisors, but, by the main theorem of the article, the homology group \(H_{2d-2} (X,\mathbb{Z})\) is isomorphic to the divisor class group of \(T\)-invariant Weil divisors on \(X\), which is generated by the classes of the closures of one-codimensional \(T\)-orbits. In particular \(b_{2d-2}\) remains an invariant of combinatorial type of the defining fan. There are further results, in particular \(H_{2d-1} (X)=0\) and more detailed considerations regarded to the torsion subgroup of \(H_{2d-2} (X,\mathbb{Z})\). For \(d=3\) the Betti numbers of \(X\) are explicitly given in terms of invariants of the defining fan.