Poincaré polynomials of character varieties, Macdonald polynomials and affine Springer fibers (Q2193963)

Denote by \(\Sigma\) a Riemann surface, endowed with a fixed finite set \(\mathcal{S}\subset\Sigma\) of marked points. Let \(\mathcal{M}\) denote the moduli space of rank \(n\) local systems on \(\Sigma\setminus\mathcal{S}\), with semisimple local monodromy around the marked points. These moduli spaces are known as character varieties. \textit{T. Hausel} et al. [Duke Math. J. 160, No. 2, 323--400 (2011; Zbl 1246.14063)] computed the \(E\)-polynomial of \(\mathcal{M}\), allowing them to guess a conjectural formula for the corresponding full mixed Hodge polynomial in terms of modified Macdonald polynomials. In particular, their formula predicted the associated Poincaré polynomial of the character variety. In this paper, the author proves that indeed the explicit formula predicted by Hausel, Letellier and Rodriguez-Villegas is the Poincaré polynomial of \(\mathcal{M}\). This is carried out by counting points over finite fields, in the spirit of \textit{O. Schiffmann}'s work [Ann. Math. (2) 183, No. 1, 297--362 (2016; Zbl 1342.14076)], where he computed the number of stable Higgs bundles on a curve over a finite field -- cf. also the work [\textit{S. Mozgovoy} and \textit{O. Schiffmann}, Compos. Math. 156, No. 4, 744--769 (2020; Zbl 07178692)] with Mozgovoy -- and thus obtained a recipe to compute the Poincaré polynomials of character varieties in the case where \(\mathcal{S}\) is empty. However, the case with marked points appeared to be more difficult since, in particular, there was no known way of obtaining Macdonald polynomials by counting bundles of some sort. In the process of computing the Poincaré polynomial of \(\mathcal{M}\), the author is able to find such an interpretation of Macdonald polynomials. This is based on the fact that the number of partial flags over a finite field preserved by a given nilpotent matrix is obtained by the Hall-Littlewood polynomial.