On complete symmetric varieties (Q750558)

Let G/H be a symmetric variety, that is, the quotient of a semisimple algebraic group G by the normalizer H of the fixed group of an involution of G. There is a canonical equivariant projective compactification X of G/H [see \textit{C. de Concini} and \textit{C. Procesi}, Invariant theory, Proc. 1st 1982 Sess., C.I.M.E., Montecatini/Italy, Lect. Notes Math. 996, 1-44 (1983; Zbl 0581.14041)]. The author proves that any smooth equivariant compactification Y of G/H that lies over X contains a certain torus embedding \(Z\subset Y\to X\) and calculates the Picard group of Y to be Pic(Y)\(\cong Pic(X)\oplus Pic(Z)\). The author also finds the intersection form on Pic(Y), computes the Betti numbers of Y, and determines the group of sections of any line bundle on Y (this is completely determined by the sections over Z).