Bott towers, crosspolytopes and torus actions (Q2572554)

A Bott tower is a series of algebraic varieties \(N_k\), \(k=0,\dots,n\), such that \(N_0=\text{pt}\) and \(N_{k+1}=\mathbb P_{N_k}(\mathbb C\oplus\xi_k)\), where \(\xi_k\) is a line bundle over \(N_k\) [\textit{M. Grossberg} and \textit{Y. Karshon}, Duke Math. J. 76, No. 1, 23--58 (1994; Zbl 0826.22018)]. Examples are provided by Hirzebruch surfaces or Bott--Samelson varieties of bounded flags [\textit{R. Bott} and \textit{H. Samelson}, Am. J. Math. 80, 964--1029 (1958); Correction. ibid. 83, 207--208 (1961; Zbl 0101.39702); \textit{V. M. Buchstaber} and \textit{N. Ray}, Geom. Topol. 2, 79--101 (1998; Zbl 0907.57025)]. The author proves that the stages \(N_k\) of a Bott tower are smooth projective toric varieties whose fans are generated by initial segments \(e_1,\dots,e_k\) of the standard basis of \(\mathbb Z^n\) and the rows of upper-left \(k\)-minors of an upper triangular integral matrix \(\mathcal B(n)\) with \(-1\) on the diagonal, called the Bott matrix. The polytope whose vertices are the endpoints of the primitive lattice vectors generating the rays of the fan of \(N_n\) is a so-called crosspolytope [\textit{A. Brønstedt}, An introduction to convex polytopes (1983; Zbl 0509.52001)]. Conversely, every crosspolytope whose associated fan is regular defines a Bott tower. The author computes \(H^{*}(N_k,\mathbb Z)\) using the Danilov--Jurkiewicz theorem and decomposes the tangent bundle \(\tau(N_k)\) into a direct sum of line bundles.