The signature of a toric variety. (Q1847894)

The signature of a simple \(d\)-dimensional polytope \(P\) is defined as \(\sigma(P)=\sum_{i=0}^d(-1)^ih_i(P)\), where \((h_0,\dots,h_d)\) is the \(h\)-vector of \(P\) [cf. \textit{R. Charney} and \textit{M. Davis}, Pac. J. Math. 171, No. 1, 117--137 (1995; Zbl 0865.53036)]. By the Dehn--Sommerville equations, \(\sigma(P)=0\) whenever \(d\) is odd. For \(d\) even it is proved that \(\sigma(P)\) equals the signature of the quadratic form \(x^2\) on the middle graded component of the McMullen ring \(\Pi(P)\). In particular, if \(P\) is rational, then \(\sigma(P)\) is the signature of the associated toric variety \(X\). The main results of the paper are the nonnegativity and lower bounds for \((-1)^{d/2}\sigma(P)\) under certain convexity restrictions on \(P\). Namely, if \(P\) is rational and its normal fan \(\Delta\) has the property that the star of each ray is convex, then \((-1)^{d/2}\sigma(P)\geq0\). This proves a special case of the Charney--Davis conjecture [loc. cit.] closely related to the Hopf conjecture on the Euler characteristic of a nonpositively curved manifold. If, furthermore, the star of each ray in \(\Delta\) is strictly convex, then \((-1)^{d/2}\sigma(P)\geq f_{d-1}(P)/3m(P)^{d-1}\), where \(f_{d-1}\) is the number of facets of \(P\) and \(m(P)\) is the l.c.m.\ of \(| \mathbb{Z}^d/(\mathbb{Z}\rho_1+\dots+\mathbb{Z}\rho_d)| \) over all \(d\)-cones \(\sigma=\langle\rho_1,\dots,\rho_d\rangle\in\Delta\) with the \(\rho_i\in\mathbb{Z}^d\) indivisible. A more subtle bound is obtained under further restrictions on \(P\). The technique used in proofs is that of toric geometry. Namely, \(\sigma(P)\) is expressed in terms of toric prime divisors on \(X\) in a way similar to the Hirzebruch signature formula. As a byproduct, the authors obtain under the same restrictions on stars that \((-1)^iL_i(X)\in\text{Chow}(X)_{\mathbb{Q}}^i\) are effective or zero for the total Hirzebruch \(L\)-class \(L(X)= \sum_{i=0}^d\text{ch}(\Omega_X^i)\text{Td}_X= \sum_iL_i(X)\).