Geometry of the tetrahedron space (Q2496716)

The tetrahedron space \(V^o\) is defined, in the product \(G= {\mathbb P}^3\times \text{Gr}(2,4)\times({\mathbb P}^3)^*\), as the orbit of the subspaces defined by the canonical basis of \({\mathbb C}^4\), under the action of the linear group. The closure of \(V^o\) in \(G\) can be seen as the space \(V\) parameterizing generalized tetrahedra (including degenerate ones), but it is singular at the border. In a previous paper [Adv. Math. 165, 285--312 (2002; Zbl 1041.51010)] the authors introduced a smooth compactification \(\tilde V\to V\) of \(V^o\), roughly speaking by considering the limit of all relational simplices defined by a tetrahedron. In the paper under review, the authors continue the study of the geometric properties of \(\tilde V\). In particular, they prove that the boundary \(Y=\tilde V\setminus V^0\) is a divisor with normal crossing. Moreover they show that the cohomology ring of \(\tilde V\) is determined by the classes of the closure of strata in \(Y\).