Equivariant classes of matrix matroid varieties (Q1760054)

To each function \(r\) from the subsets of \(\{1,2,\dots,k\}\) to integers the authors associate the variety \(X\subset ({\mathbb C}^n)^k\) consisting of the \(k\)-tuples of vectors in \(v_1,v_2,\dots,v_k\in{\mathbb C}^n\) having the property: \(\mathrm{rank}(\mathrm{lin}(v_{i_1},v_{i_2},\dots,v_{i_s})=r(\{i_1,i_2,\dots,i_s\})\). The closure of \(X\) is called a matrix matroid variety. The crucial for the paper is the example of the Menelaus configuration. It shows that the ideal defining this particular matrix matroid variety is not generated just by suitable determinants of minors. On the other hand the matrix Schubert varieties, see e.g. [\textit{A. Knutson} and \textit{E. Miller}, Ann. Math. (2) 161, No. 3, 1245--1318 (2005; Zbl 1089.14007)] are easy from that point of view. The main subject of the paper are Thom polynomials (or multidegrees) of matrix matroid varieties. These are the fundamental classes considered in equivariant cohomology with respect to action of the product of the torus \(T=({\mathbb C}^*)^k\) and the linear group \(\mathrm{GL}_n({\mathbb C})\). The formula for the Thom polynomial of the matrix Schubert variety is given. The result follows from the previous work of two authors on double Schubert polynomials [\textit{L. M. Fehér} and \textit{R. Rimányi}, Cent. Eur. J. Math. 1, No. 4, 418--434 (2003; Zbl 1038.57008)]. Except from Menelaus configuration there are also considered other basic examples: Ceva, Pappus and Desargues configurations. Already for these simple configuration the Thom polynomials are complicated, so the authors exhibit the result specializing the torus variables \(d_1,d_2,\dots d_k\in H^*(BT)\) to 0. The interpretations of the Thom polynomial in the spirit of Gromov-Witten is given. Some coefficients of the Thom polynomial have an interpretation in terms of the enumerative geometry. All coefficients are nonnegative when expanded in the Schur basis of \(H^*(\mathrm{GL}_n({\mathbb C}))\) and the monomial basis of \(H^*(BT)\) (with the right signs). The positivity is proven as in [\textit{P. Pragacz} and \textit{A. Weber}, Trends in Mathematics, 117--129 (2008; Zbl 1157.14039)]: the classifying space \(\mathrm{BGL}_n({\mathbb C})\) is approximated by finite Grassmannians and the considered coefficients are equal to intersection numbers of some effective cycles on Grassmannian. The nonnegativity follows by general position argument. The stabilization with respect to the dimension of the ambient space \({\mathbb C}^n\) is discussed. The formulas follows from the general rule based on the Atiyah-Bott localization theorem, as studied in [\textit{L. M. Fehér} and \textit{R. Rimányi}, Ann. Math. (2) 176, No. 3, 1381--1426 (2012; Zbl 1264.32023)]. The computations of the Thom polynomials for the considered examples was done by the combination of interpolation method (loc. cit.) and a version of the restriction method [\textit{L. M. Fehér} and \textit{R. Rimányi}, Contemporary Mathematics 354, 69--93 (2004; Zbl 1074.32008)]. It just so happens that the listed by the authors conditions determine the Thom polynomials here.