A geometric deletion-restriction formula (Q436135)

Let \(\mathscr{A}\) be a central rank \(l\) arrangement of hyperplanes in a complex vector space \(\mathbb{C}^m\) defined by \(n\) linear functions \(f_1,\dots,f_n\). Consider the affine space \(\mathbb{C}^n\) with coordinates \(a_1,\ldots,a_n\), and set \[ \Sigma(\mathscr{A}):=\Bigg\{\sum_{i=1}^n a_i \frac{df_i}{f_i}=0\Bigg\} \subseteq \mathbb{C}^m \setminus \mathscr{A} \times \mathbb{C}^n. \] The variety \(\Sigma(\mathscr{A})\) is preserved by the diagonal actions of \(\mathbb{C}^*\) on \(\mathbb{C}^m\) and \(\mathbb{C}^n\), and hence it defines a biprojective variety \[ \mathscr{X}(\mathscr{A}):= \overline{\Sigma}(\mathscr{A})/(\mathbb{C}^* \times \mathbb{C}^*) \subseteq \mathbb{P}^{m-1} \times \mathbb{P}^{n-1}. \] In the paper under review, Denham, Garrousian, and Schulze show that the cohomology class of \(\mathscr{X}(\mathscr{A})\) in the product of projective spaces is determined by the characteristic polynomial of \(\mathscr{A}\) (Theorem 1.1): \[ [\mathscr{X}(\mathscr{A})]=\chi^+(\mathscr{A},-h,k-h) \in H^{2l}(\mathbb{P}^{m-1} \times \mathbb{P}^{n-1},\mathbb{Z}) \simeq \mathbb{Z}[h,k]/(h^m,k^n). \] The proof is obtained using the ``geometric deletion-restriction formula'', Theorem 3.1, which says that a hyperplane section of \(\overline{\Sigma}(\mathscr{A})\) decomposes into the union of \(\overline{\Sigma}(\mathscr{A}')\) and \(\overline{\Sigma}(\mathscr{A}'')\) for any deletion-restriction triple of essential arrangements \((\mathscr{A},\mathscr{A}',\mathscr{A}'')\). This gives a direct geometric explanation of the connection between \(\chi^+\) and the Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson class of \(\mathbb{C}^m \setminus \mathscr{A}\), see [\textit{P. Aluffi}, Int. Math. Res. Not. 2013, No. 8, 1873--1900 (2013; Zbl 1312.14020)] and [\textit{J. Huh}, Compos. Math. 149, No. 8, 1245--1266 (2013; Zbl 1282.14007)].