Spherical actions on isotropic flag varieties and related branching rules (Q1981133)

Let \( G \) be a connected semisimple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field \( \mathbb{F} \) of characteristic zero. Consider a flag variety \( X \) of \( G \), i.e., a homogeneous projective \( G \)-variety. Then \( X = G/P \) for some parabolic subgroup of \( G \). Let \( H \) be a reductive subgroup of \( G \) and \( B_H \) its Borel subgroup. The variety \( X \) is said to be spherical if it has an open \( B_H \)-orbit. It is well known that \( X \) is spherical if and only if there are only finitely many \( B_H \)-orbits on \( X \). In this paper under review, the authors consider \( G = \mathrm{Sp}_{2n} \) or \( G = \mathrm{SO}_n \) and give a complete classification of the pairs \( (H, X) \), where \( H \) is a reductive subgroup of \( G \), and \( X = G/P \) is an \( H \)-spherical flag variety. This problem has already been solved for \( G = SL_n \) by the same authors [Sb. Math. 205, No. 9, 1223--1263 (2014; Zbl 1327.14217); translation from Mat. Sb. 205, No. 9, 3--48 (2014)]. Many of interesting cases in the classification are already known. For example, when \( H \) is a Levi subgroup [\textit{P. Littelmann}, J. Algebra 166, No. 1, 142--157 (1994; Zbl 0823.20040); \textit{J. R. Stembridge}, Represent. Theory 7, 404--439 (2003; Zbl 1060.17001); [Engl. transl.: \textit{E. V. Ponomareva}, Izv. Math. 77, No. 5, 998--1020 (2013; Zbl 1284.14063); translation from Izv. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Mat. 77, No. 5, 155--17 (2013)] among others) or \( H \) is a symmetric subgroup of \( G \) [\textit{X. He} et al., Transform. Groups 18, No. 4, 1091--1136 (2013; Zbl 1295.14043)]. However, complete classification was supposed to be difficult. So the main point of the paper is to give complete tables for the spherical pair \( (H, X) \). The paper is well written and accessible even for nonexperts. The key idea of the classification seems a general criterion of spherical variety (Proposition 5.16, based on a result of \textit{D. I. Panyushev} [Manuscr. Math. 99, No. 2, 185--202 (1999; Zbl 0961.14030)], see also [\textit{R. Avdeev} and \textit{A. Petukhov}, Algebr. Represent. Theory 23, No. 3, 541--581 (2020; Zbl 1454.20089)]). It reduces the \( H \)-sphericality to the conormal fiber on a closed \( H \)-orbit \( Y \subset X \). Take any point \( y \in Y \), and consider the conormal fiber at this point. If the space of fiber is a spherical module for the fixed point subgroup \( M = H_y \) of \( y \), then the whole variety is spherical. For the precise statement, see Section 5.8 of the paper. Using this idea and other systematic reductions, the authors study each cases by explicit calculations and finally achieved the classification. Besides the classification, they also give rank of the spherical variety, and module structure of the function ring on the variety.