Eigenvalue coincidences and \(K\)-orbits. I (Q471902)

In this paper, the following variety is studied. Let \(\mathfrak{g}(l)\) be the subvariety of \(\mathfrak{gl}(n,\mathbb{C})\) composed of matrices \(x\) which share exactly \(l\) eigenvalues, counted with multiplicity, avec their the upper left-hand \(n-1\) by \(n-1\) corner. To study \(\mathfrak{g}(l)\), the authors consider the orbits of \(\mathrm{GL}(n -1,\mathbb{C})\times \mathrm{GL}(1,\mathbb{C})\) on the flag variety \(\mathfrak{B}\) of Borel subalgebras of \(\mathfrak{g}(l)\). In particular, they determine the irreducible components of \(g(l)\) (see Theorem 1.1). They are of the form \(Y_{\mathfrak{b}}:=\{\mathrm{Ad}(g)(x) : x \in b \cap g(l), g \in \mathrm{GL}(n -1,\mathbb{C})\}\), where \(\mathfrak{b}\in\mathfrak{B}\) is a Borel subalgebra such that the orbit \(\mathrm{GL}(n-1,\mathbb{C})\cdot \mathfrak{b}\) in \(\mathfrak{B}\) has codimension \(l\). Moreover, for each such a \(\mathfrak{b}\), \(Y_{\mathfrak{b}}\) is an irreducible component of \(g(l)\). The proof uses several ingredients. The first is the flatness of a variant of a morphism studied in [\textit{B. Kostant} and \textit{N. Wallach}, Prog. Math. 243, 319--364 (2006; Zbl 1099.14037)], which implies that the irreducible components of \(\mathfrak{g}(l)\) have all the same dimension. The authors prove the flatness assertion using dimension estimates derived from symplectic geometry. The remaining ingredient is an explicit description of the \(l + 1\) \ \(\mathrm{GL}(n -1,\mathbb{C})\times \mathrm{GL}(1,\mathbb{C})\)-orbits \(Q\) on \(\mathfrak{B}\) with \(l(Q) = n- 1- l\), and the closely related study of \(\mathrm{GL}(n -1,\mathbb{C})\times \mathrm{GL}(1,\mathbb{C})\)-orbits on generalized flag varieties. Theorem 1.1 allows the authors to describe elements of \(\mathfrak{g}(l)\) up to \(\mathrm{GL}(n -1,\mathbb{C})\times \mathrm{GL}(1,\mathbb{C})\)-conjugacy (see Corollary 1.2). This paper is part of a series of the authors' papers on K-orbits on B and the Gelfand-Zeitlin system. In [\textit{M. Colarusso} and \textit{S. Evens}, Sel. Math., New Ser. 18, No. 1, 159--177 (2012; Zbl 1258.14056)], they used \(K\)-orbits to determine the so-called strongly regular elements in the nilfiber of the moment map of the Gelfand-Zeitlin system.