Height formulas for homogeneous varieties. (Q5954579)

The height defined by a hermitian line bundle is the main new ingredient in Arakelov theory, i.e. intersection theory of arithmetic schemes, compared with the classical (geometric) intersection theory. For an arithmetic variety \(\mathcal X\) (given as an algebraic variety \(X/\mathbb{Q}\) with a canonical regular model over \(\text{Spec} \mathbb{Z}\)) with a canonical hermitian line bundle, one has in particular the notion of the height \(h(X)\), generalizing the classical notion of a height of a rational point known from Diophantine approximation. There are several approaches to compute the height of an arithmetic variety. Although the computation via arithmetic intersection numbers as in the intrinsic definition of \textit{G. Faltings} [Ann. Math. (2) 133, 549--576 (1991; Zbl 0734.14007); see also \textit{H. Gillet} and \textit{C. Soulé}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. Publ. Math. 72, 93--174 (1990; Zbl 0741.14012); \textit{J.-B. Bost}, \textit{H. Gillet} and \textit{C. Soulé}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 7, 903--1027 (1994; Zbl 0973.14013)] seems to be natural, other alternatives can be applied to the direct computation of \(h(X)\). The approach of \textit{P. Philippon} [Math. Ann. 289, No. 2, 255--283 (1991; Zbl 0726.14017)] used explicit equations and was successfully applied to the case of projective hypersurfaces. Several other families of varieties were treated, most notably \(\text{SL}_n\)- and Lagrangian Grassmannians by the author in a series of papers [Duke Math. J. 98, No.3, 421--443 (1999; Zbl 0989.14007); J. Reine Angew. Math. 516, 207--223 (1999; Zbl 0934.14018); Math. Ann. 314, No.4, 641--665 (1999; Zbl 0955.14037)] were an arithmetic analogue of the Schubert calculus was developed. A third approach relies on the powerful method of fixed point formulae, which had already proved to be effective in the geometric case. Developed by \textit{K. Köhler} and \textit{D. Roessler} [Invent. Math. 145, 333--396 (2001; Zbl 0999.14002); Ann. Inst. Fourier 52, 81--103 (2002; Zbl 1001.14006); Invent. Math. 147, No.3, 633--669 (2002; Zbl 1023.14008); J. Reine Angew. Math. 556, 127--148 (2003; Zbl 1032.14004)], it allows to avoid computations in the arithmetic Chow ring, using the fact that the height is the leading term of an arithmetic Hilbert-Samuel function. In the case of a flag variety \(X = G / P\), this leads to a particularly nice expression of \(h(X)\) as a purely cohomological formula in terms of integrals of closed differential forms, without using currents. In the paper under review, this is applied to the cases of the \(\text{SL}_n\)-Grassmannian, the Lagrangian and orthogonal Grassmannians and the complete \(\text{SL}_n\)-flag variety. It turns out that using the Köhler-Roessler formula, all computations can be done in terms of the classical Schubert calculus, giving explicit formulae for the heights in completely combinatorial terms. Moreover, the results confirm for the considered cases the conjecture of Köhler and Roessler (initially based on computer calculations) that \(h(G/P)\) is a rational number with a certain denominator.