The Duistermaat-Heckman formula and the cohomology of moduli spaces of polygons (Q2510088)

Let \(M(r)=M(r_1,\dots,r_n)\) be the space of closed piecewise linear paths in \(\mathbb R^3\), modulo rotations and translations, such that the \(j\)-th step has norm \(r_j\), \(r_1+\dots+r_n=1\). Consider the standard Hamiltonian action of \(\mathrm{U}(1)^n\) on the Grassmannian \(G_{n,2}\) of 2-planes in \(\mathbb C^2\) with the momentum mapping \(\mu(\Pi)=\frac{1}{2}(| a_1|^2+| b_1|^2,\dots,| a_n|^2+| b_n|^2)\), where \(\Pi\in G_{n,2}\) is spanned by mutually orthogonal unit vectors \(a\), \(b\in\mathbb C^n\). Then, for a generic \(r\) in the moment polytope \(\Xi=\mu(G_{n,2})\), the space \(M(r)\) can be realized as the symplectic reduced space \(\mu^{-1}(r)/\mathrm{U}(1)^n\), see [\textit{J.-C. Hausmann} and \textit{A. Knutson}, Enseign. Math. (2) 43, No. 1--2, 173--198 (1997; Zbl 0888.58007)]. The symplectic volume of \(M(r)\) is computed and the description of the birational map between \(M(r)\) and \(M(r')\) when \(r\) and \(r'\) are in different chambers of the moment polytope \(\Xi\), is given. As the main result, the wall-crossing analysis is used in proving that the first Chern classes of the \(n\) line bundles associated with the fibration \(\mu^{-1}(r)\to M(r)\) generate the cohomology ring \(H^*(M(r),\mathbb C)\). Also, by applying the Duistermaat-Heckman theorem [\textit{J. J. Duistermaat} and \textit{G. J. Heckman}, Invent. Math. 69, 259--268 (1982; Zbl 0503.58015)], the relations on these generators are obtained from the piece-wise polynomial function that describes the volume of \(M(r)\). This interesting problem is very well studied and previous results on the cohomology and the symplectic volume of \(M(r)\) can be found in [\textit{F. C. Kirwan}, Cohomology of quotients in symplectic and algebraic geometry. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press (1984; Zbl 0553.14020)], [\textit{M. Brion}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 421, 125--140 (1991; Zbl 0729.14015)], [\textit{J.-C. Hausmann} and \textit{A. Knutson}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 48, No. 1, 281--321 (1998; Zbl 0903.14019)], [\textit{R. F. Goldin}, Adv. Math. 160, No. 2, 175--204 (2001; Zbl 1117.14051)], and [\textit{T. Takakura}, Int. J. Math. 12, No. 1, 97--111 (2001; Zbl 1110.53309)] and [\textit{Vu The Khoi}, Kodai Math. J. 28, No. 1, 199--208 (2005; Zbl 1104.53083)], respectively.