Root subgroups on affine spherical varieties (Q2135761)

Let \(X\) be an irreducible algebraic variety equipped with an action of a linear algebraic group \(F\); the ground field \(\Bbbk\) is assumed algebraically closed and of characteristic zero. An additive one-parameter subgroup \(\mathbb{G}_{\text{a}}\overset\sim\to\longrightarrow H\subset\operatorname{Aut}(X)\) is called an \textit{\(F\)-root subgroup} if \(H\) is normalized by \(F\). The Lie algebra of \(H\) is then acted on by \(F\) via a character \(\chi=\chi_H\) called the \textit{weight} of the \(F\)-root subgroup \(H\). For affine \(X\), an \(F\)-root subgroup \(H\subset\operatorname{Aut}(X)\) defines a locally nilpotent derivation of the coordinate algebra \(\Bbbk[X]\) which is an eigenvector for the conjugation action of \(F\) in the space of linear endomorphisms of \(\Bbbk[X]\); conversely, every derivation of this kind gives rise to an \(F\)-root subgroup. The case where \(F=T\) is an algebraic torus and \(X\) is a toric variety goes back to \textit{M. Demazure} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 3, 507--588 (1970; Zbl 0223.14009)]. \(T\)-root subgroups acting on toric varieties are used in the study of automorphism groups of toric varieties and other questions of toric geometry. They are uniquely determined by their weights and the weights of the \(T\)-root subgroups are exactly the so-called \textit{Demazure roots} of a toric variety, which are defined combinatorially in terms of the respective fan; see [\textit{T. Oda}, Convex bodies and algebraic geometry. An introduction to the theory of toric varieties. Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag (1988; Zbl 0628.52002)]. The aim of the paper under review is to introduce and initiate a study of \textit{\(B\)-root subgroups} on spherical varieties, which are a natural generalization of toric varieties. Recall that a normal irreducible variety \(X\) with an action of a reductive group \(G\) is called \textit{spherical} if a Borel subgroup \(B\subset G\) possesses an open orbit in \(X\); see e.g. [\textit{F. Knop}, in: Proceedings of the Hyderabad conference on algebraic groups held at the School of Mathematics and Computer/Information Sciences of the University of Hyderabad, India, December 1989. Madras: Manoj Prakashan. 225--249 (1991; Zbl 0812.20023); \textit{D. A. Timashev}, Homogeneous spaces and equivariant embeddings. Berlin: Springer (2011; Zbl 1237.14057); \textit{N. Perrin}, Transform. Groups 19, No. 1, 171--223 (2014; Zbl 1309.14001)]. The authors believe that \(B\)-root subgroups on spherical varieties are a proper generalization of \(T\)-root subgroups on toric varieties and should play an equally important role in the geometry of spherical varieties. The paper under review focuses on the affine case. Unlike the toric case, \(B\)-root subgroups on an affine spherical \(G\)-variety \(X\) subdivide into two subclasses: \textit{vertical} and \textit{horizontal} subgroups. Vertical subgroups are those which preserve the open \(B\)-orbit \(X^0\subset X\) and also all \(B\)-stable prime divisors, which are just the irreducible components of \(X\setminus X^0\). The authors provide examples and constructions of vertical subgroups and remark that this class of \(B\)-root subgroups remains mysterious and less accessible for study. As for horizontal subgroups, they move a single \(B\)-stable prime divisor each, and act nontrivially on the algebra \(\Bbbk[X]^U\) of \(U\)-invariant functions, where \(U\) is the unipotent part of \(B\). Horizontal subgroups induce \(T\)-root subgroups on the toric variety \(Z=\operatorname{Spec}\Bbbk[X]^U\). A general construction of horizontal \(B\)-root subgroups is suggested. Namely, consider the isotypic \(G\)-module decomposition of the coordinate algebra \(\Bbbk[X]=\bigoplus_{\lambda\in\Gamma}\Bbbk[X]_{(\lambda)}\), where each \(\Bbbk[X]_{(\lambda)}\) is a simple \(G\)-module of highest weight \(\lambda\) and \(\Gamma\) is the weight monoid of \(X\). Then \(\Bbbk[Z]\) is the semigroup algebra of \(\Gamma\). For any Demazure root \(\mu\) of \(Z\) belonging to the weight monoid of the open \(G\)-orbit in \(X\), the formula \(\partial_\mu(f)=\langle\rho,\lambda\rangle\cdot f_\mu f\), \(\forall f\in\Bbbk[X]_{(\lambda)}\), where \(\rho\) is the primitive generator of the ray of the dual cone of \(\mathbb{Q}_{\ge0}\Gamma\) corresponding to~\(\mu\), yields a well-defined linear endomorphism of \(\Bbbk[X]\). It is proved that \(\partial_\mu\) is a locally nilpotent derivation if and only if \(\rho\) annihilates the so-called \textit{spherical roots} of \(X\) (see e.g. [\textit{D. A. Timashev}, Homogeneous spaces and equivariant embeddings. Berlin: Springer (2011; Zbl 1237.14057); \textit{N. Perrin}, Transform. Groups 19, No. 1, 171--223 (2014; Zbl 1309.14001)] for this notion). The respective horizontal \(B\)-root subgroups are called standard. Standard horizontal subgroups are determined by their weights \(\mu\) (which is not true for arbitrary horizontal or vertical subgroups, as examples show) and move a single \(G\)-stable prime divisor each. The author conjecture that each \(G\)-stable prime divisor on an affine spherical \(G\)-variety is moved by a horizontal subgroup and prove this conjecture in several cases including horospherical varieties, i.e., spherical varieties whose all \(G\)-orbits contain a \(U\)-fixed point. (The conjecture was proven later in full generality by the second author and \textit{V. S. Zhgoon}, Dokl. Math. 105, No. 2, 51--55 (2022; Zbl 1491.14084); translation from Dokl. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Mat. Inform. Protsessy Upr. 503, 5--10 (2022)]. Another application of standard horizontal subgroups is a partial description of \(G\)-root subgroups, which can be made more precise if each minimal parabolic subgroup \(P\supset B\) moves at most one \(B\)-stable prime divisor on \(X\) (in particular, in the horospherical case): all \(G\)-root subgroups are standard and their weights are distinguished among the weights of standard \(B\)-root subgroups as those belonging to the character lattice of \(G\). In the horospherical case, the set of weights of all horizontal subgroups is described as the set of all Demazure roots of \(Z\) that are dominant weights of \(G\), and it is shown that any such a root is the weight of a standard subgroup. Another case considered is detail is where \(G\) is of semisimple rank one and \(X\) is toric with respect to a maximal torus \(T\subset B\).