Wahl's conjecture for a minuscule \(G/P\) (Q2655524)

Let \(X\) be a non-singular complex projective variety. For ample line bundles \(L\) and \(M\) over \(X\), consider the natural restriction map (called the Gaussian) \[ H^0(X\times X, \, \mathcal{I}_{\Delta}\otimes p_1^*L\otimes p_2^*M) \to H^0(X, \Omega^1_X\otimes L\otimes M), \] where \(\mathcal{I}_{\Delta}\) denotes the ideal sheaf of the diagonal \(\Delta\) in \(X\times X\), \(p_1\) and \(p_2\) the two projections of \(X\times X\) to \(X\), and \(\Omega^1_X\) the sheaf of differential 1-forms; note that this map is induced by the natural projection \(\mathcal{I}_{\Delta} \to \mathcal{I}_{\Delta}/\mathcal{I}_{\Delta}^2\) by identifying the \(\mathcal{O}_{\Delta}\)-module \(\mathcal{I}_{\Delta}/\mathcal{I}_{\Delta}^2\) with \(\Omega^1_X\). \textit{J.~Wahl} [Manuscr. Math. 73, No.~3, 229--259 (1991; Zbl 0764.20022)] conjectured that this map is surjective when \(X=G/P\) for \(G\) a semisimple group and \(P\) a parabolic subgroup of \(G\). Wahl's conjecture was proved by \textit{S.~Kumar} [Am. J. Math. 114, No.~6, 1201--1220 (1992; Zbl 0790.14015)] using representation theoretic techniques. In [J. Algebra 208, No.~1, 101--128 (1998; Zbl 0955.14006)], \textit{V.~Lakshmibai, V.~B.~Mehta} and \textit{A.~J.~Parameswaran} observed that Wahl's conjecture will be true in positive characteristic also if there exists a Frobenius splitting of \(X\times X\) which compatibly splits the diagonal and has the maximum possible order of vanishing along the diagonal (the LMP-conjecture). The latter conjecture was proved by \textit{V.~B.~Mehta} and \textit{A.~J.~Parameswaran} [Int. J. Math. 8, No.~4, 495--498 (1997; Zbl 0914.14021)] for the classical Grassmannians and by \textit{V.~Lakshmibai, K.~N.~Raghavan} and \textit{P.~Sankaran} [Cent. Eur. J. Math. 7, No. 2, 214--223 (2009; Zbl 1200.14100)] for symplectic and orthogonal Grassmannians. In the article under review, the LMP-conjecture is proved in all characteristics for a minuscule \(G/P\) (if \(G\) is the special orthogonal group, then the characteristic is not 2). The idea is to reduce the LMP-conjecture to the problem of finding a section \(\phi\in H^0(G/B, K_{G/B}^{-1})\), where \(K_{G/B}\) is the canonical bundle on \(G/B\), which has maximum possible order of vanishing along \(P/B\). This problem is further reduced to computing the order of vanishing (along \(P/B\)) of the highest weight vector in \(H^0(G/B,L(\omega_d))\), for every fundamental weight \(\omega_d\) of the group \(G\). The technique developed here provides new proofs of the results on Grassmannians mentioned above.