Matroids and geometric invariant theory of torus actions on flag spaces (Q2370229)

Let \(F=\text{SL}_n/P\) be a partial flag variety, and \(T\) a maximal torus contained in \(P\). Consider a Geometric Invariant Theory quotient \(F//T\) of \(F\) by the natural action of \(T\). Its construction depends upon the choice of a \(T\)-linearized bundle \(L\) on \(F\). In this paper the author considers the case when \(L\) is very ample; in this case the isomorphism class of \(L\) is determined by a choice of dominant weight \(\lambda\), such that the character \(e^\lambda\) of the Borel subgroup \(B\) extends to \(P\) and to no larger parabolic subgroup. More precisely, the GIT quotient \(F//T\) associated to a pair of weights \((\lambda,\mu)\) is the projective variety \[ F//T=\text{Proj}({\bigoplus_{N=0}^\infty} \Gamma(F,L_\lambda^{\oplus N})^T), \] where the weight \(\mu\) is used to ``twist'' the canonical \(T\)-linearization of \(L_\lambda\): \(T\) acts on \(L_\lambda\) by \(t\cdot(g,z)=(tg,\mu(t)z)\). A point \(p\in F\) is said to be \(\mu\)-semistable if there exists a positive integer \(N\) and a \(T\)-invariant global section \(s\in\Gamma(F,L_\lambda^{\otimes N})^T\) such that \(s(p)\neq 0\). Consider a pair \((\lambda,\mu)\), such that \(\lambda-\mu\) lies in the root lattice of \(\text{SL}_n\). The main theorem of the paper states that for each \(\mu\)-semistable point \(p\in F\) there exists a global \(T\)-invariant section \(s\) of \(L_\lambda\) such that \(s(p)\leq 0\). This means that for any choice of basis in the subspace \(V_\lambda[\mu]\) of weight \(\mu\) in the representation \(V_\lambda\) with the highest weight \(\lambda\) one obtains a well-defined map \(F//T\to\mathbb C \mathbb P^{\dim V_\lambda[\mu]-1}\). Equivalently, all the semistable partial flags are detected by degree one \(T\)-invariants. The proof of this theorem is based on using the technique of matroid polytopes developed by Gel'fand, Goretsky, MacPherson, and Serganova in [\textit{I. M. Gel'fand, R. D. MacPherson}, Adv. Math. 44, 279--312 (Zbl 0504.57021)]. The paper is concluded by showing that the closure of any \(T\)-orbit in \(F\) embedded naturally into \(\mathbb C \mathbb P^{\dim V_\lambda-1}\) is projectively normal.