Arithmetically Gorenstein Schubert varieties in a minuscule \(G/P\) (Q713612)

The authors give a characterization of arithmetically Gorenstein Schubert varieties in a minuscule generalized flag variety \(G/P\) over an algebraic closed field. Recall that \(G/P\) is minuscule if \(P\) is a maximal parabolic subgroup associated to a minuscule (fundamental) weights. If \(G=\mathrm{SL}_n\), then \(G/P\) is just a Grassmannian. The minuscule weights plus zero are a set of ``minimal'' representatives for the cosets of the root lattice in the weight lattice. All Schubert varieties (in a flag variety) are Cohen-Macaulay, but not all of them are smooth. The smooth ones are completely classified. The Gorenstein property is a geometric property between Cohen-Macaulayness and the smoothness property. The problem of classifying the Gorenstein Schubert varieties is an open problem. The minuscule varieties have a canonical closed embedding in a projective space (associated to the ample generator of the Picard group). A Schubert variety is arithmetically Gorenstein (with respect to this embedding) if the affine cone over it is Gorenstein; this property implies the Gorenstein property. In [Adv. Math. 207, No. 1, 205--220 (2006; Zbl 1112.14058)], \textit{A. Woo} and \textit{A. Yong} have given a characterization of Gorenstein Schubert varieties in \(\mathrm{SL}_n/B\). In this case the Weyl group is isomorphic to \(S_n\) and the characterization can be given in terms of the Young diagram associated to the Schubert variety. This implies a combinatorial characterization of the Gorenstein Schubert varieties in the Grassmannian. The authors of this work give stronger results, namely, a characterization of the arithmetic Gorenstein property (for the Plücker embedding). The first main result of this work is a generalization of this combinatorial characterization in the case of the orthogonal Grassmannian where \(G=\mathrm{SO}_n\) and \(P\) is associated to one of the right end roots. The Schubert varieties can be again be represented by a ``generalized'' Young diagram and the combinatorial condition is the same. The idea of the proof is the following: the homogeneous coordinate ring of a Schubert variety \(X\) (with respect to the canonical embedding of \(G/P\)) is a Cohen-Macaulay and graded Hodge algebra with a set of generators indexed by the Bruhat poset of Schubert subvarieties of \(X\). This facts together with a result of Stanley give a characterization of the Gorenstein property for this algebra. When \(P=P_1\) and \(G\) is \(\mathrm{SO}_{2m}\) or \(\mathrm{Sp}_{2m}\), the authors prove that all Schubert varieties are arithmetically Gorenstein. In particular, \(\mathrm{Sp}_{2m}/P_1\) is a projective space and the Schubert subvarieties are linear subspaces, in particular smooth. The authors give also a list of the arithmetically Gorenstein Schubert varieties in the exceptional cases. Finally, they described the arithmetically Gorenstein Schubert varieties of the generalized flag varieties of \(\mathrm{SL}_n\), even if they are non minuscule.