Euler characteristics of Hilbert schemes of points on simple surface singularities (Q723345)

Let \(G\) be a finite subgroup of SL\((2,C)\) of type A or D. The paper under review studies the geometry and topology of the Hilbert scheme of points on \(C^2/G\), in two different flavors. First, the classical coarse Hilbert scheme Hilb\((C^2/G)\) of the singular quotient space; second, the orbifold Hilbert scheme Hilb\(([C^2/G])\), the moduli space of \(G\)-invariant finite colength subschemes of \(C^2\). The first one decomposes into components according to the number of points, and the second one decomposes according to finite dimensional representations of \(G\). Using these decompositions one defines the generating series of Euler characteristics in the two cases. The coarse generating series hence is a series in one variable, and the orbifold gerenating series is a series in \(n+1\) variables corresponding to the irreducible representations of \(G\). The goal of the paper is to give explicit combinatorial formulas for these two generating series. The first main result is Theorem 1.4 which proves a decomposition of the orbifold Hilbert scheme to affine spaces (locally closed strata), parametrized by combinatorial objects called Young walls. Using some combinatorics and representation theory the authors show how this theorem implies Nakajima's formula for the Euler characteristic generating series of the orbifold Hilbert scheme. The second main result of the paper, Theorem 1.7, proves that the coarse generating series is a particular specialization of the orbifold one, essentially at roots of unities. Although this result was known in type A (by Dijkgraaf-Sulkowski, Toda) the direct combinatorial proof of this paper is new, as well as the result in type D. The authors formulate an analogous conjecture in type E.