Quantum Pieri rules for tautological subbundles (Q2437523)

The very interesting paper under review continues the investigation begun by the same authors in the article [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2012, No. 16, 3706--3722 (2012; Zbl 1252.14038)]. Its main goal is to deduce quantum Pieri rules for the quantum cohomology of generalized flag varieties \(G/P\), where \(G\) is a complex Lie group of type A B, C or D and \(P\) is a maximal parabolic subgroup. The case when \(G\) is of type \(A\) corresponds to the classical Grassmann variety \(G(k,n)\) parameterizing \(k\)-dimensional vector subspaces of \({\mathbb C}^n\). For the convenience of a more general audience of readers, recall that the cohomology ring \(H^*(G(k,n), {\mathbb Z})\) is a free \({\mathbb Z}\)-module generated by the Schubert cycles \(\sigma_\lambda\), which are the cohomology classes of the Schubert varieties associated to a given complete flag of \({\mathbb C}^n\): they are parameterized by the partitions \(\lambda\) whose Young diagram is contained in a \(k\times (n-k)\) rectangle of \(k(n-k)\) boxes. The special Schubert cycles \(\sigma_1,\ldots, \sigma_k\) generate \(H^*(G(k,n), {\mathbb Z})\) as a \({\mathbb Z}\)-algebra, and classical Pieri's rule compute the coefficients \(a_\mu\) of the expansion of the cup-product \(\sigma_i\cup \sigma_\lambda\) as a \({\mathbb Z}\)-linear combination \(\sum_\mu a_\mu\sigma_\mu\), where \(\mu\) runs over all partitions of weight equal to the weight of \(\lambda\) added by \(i\). To deduce quantum Pieri's rule for the mentioned kind of flag varieties \(G/P\), the authors exploit the principle that relevant genus zero three points Gromov--Witten invariants coincide with certain classical intersection numbers. This is almost obvious in the case of the small quantum cohomology of the usual Grassmannians \(G(k,n)\): any product of two classes can be seen as the classical product in a Grassmannian of sufficiently high dimension. For instance the equality \(\sigma_1^4=2\sigma_{2,2}+2t\sigma_0\), holding in \(QH^*(G(2,4))\cong H^*(G(2,4),{\mathbb Z})\otimes{\mathbb Z}[t]\), is a consequence of the equality \(\sigma_1^4=2\sigma_{2,2}+3\sigma_{3,1}+\sigma_{4}\) holding in \(H^*(G(2,6))\) modulo the identification \(\sigma_{3,1}\mapsto t\sigma_0\) and \(\sigma_4\mapsto -t\sigma_0\) -- see e.g. [\textit{L. Gatto}, Asian J. Math. 9, No. 3, 315--322 (2005; Zbl 1099.14045)]. If \(G\) is a group of Lie type B, C, or D, the homogeneous space \(G/P\) may be seen as the variety of subspaces which are isotropic with respect to some given bilinear form (i.e. symplectic, symmetric, \dots) which suggests the notation \(IG(k,n)\) for the \(k\)-dimensional isotropic subspaces of \({\mathbb C}^n\). One of the main result of the paper, exposed in the definitely fine introduction, is concerned with the quantum Pieri rule for tautological subbundles of \(IG(k,2n)\), which is stated in a typical combinatorial language. Section 3 and 4 of the paper are concerned to prove many and many Pieri's rules for Grassmannians of type B, C, D, emphasizing their classical aspects. In the very useful appendix the authors reprove the well-known quantum Pieri rules for Grassmannians of type A (i.e. complex Grassmannians), obtained by \textit{A. Bertram} [Adv. Math. 128, No. 2, 289--305, Art. No. AI971627 (1997; Zbl 0945.14031)] and \textit{A. S. Buch} [Compos. Math. 137, No. 2, 227--235 (2003; Zbl 1050.14053)], to exemplify the methods developed along the paper. The article, whose main achievement consists in recognizing the classical roots of the small quantum cohomology of the homogeneous varieties, reconciling it with the ordinary cohomology, concludes itself with a useful and comprehensive bibliography which allows the interested reader to draw his own path to get into this fascinating subject.