Configurations of flags in orbits of real forms (Q776200)

This paper deals with spaces of configurations of (non-complete) flags in closed orbits of real forms of \(\mathrm{SL}(n,\mathbb C)\). The main tool is a careful use of Geometric Invariant Theory (GIT). A theorem of \textit{J. A. Wolf} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 75, 1121--1237 (1969; Zbl 0183.50901)] explains that a real form \(G_0\) of \(\mathrm{SL}(n,\mathbb C)\), acting naturally on a space of (non-complete) flags, has a unique closed orbit \(F_0\). It becomes a natural question, dealt with by the article in Theorem 1.5, to understand the links between the closed orbits of configurations of \(r\) flags in \(F_0\) under \(G_0\) and the closed orbits of general configurations of \(r\) flags under the full \(\mathrm{SL}(n,\mathbb C)\). The authors then proceed to the full description of a variety of cases: first the configurations of (line \(\subset\) hyperplane) for \(G_0\) the group \(\mathrm{SL}(n,\mathbb R)\) or the group \(\mathrm{SU}(1,n-1)\); second the configurations of 4 planes for \(G_0\) being either \(\mathrm{SL}(4,\mathbb R)\), or \(\mathrm{SU}(2,2)\) or \(\mathrm{SL}(2)\) over the quaternions. For these cases, natural coordinates on complex configurations are known from GIT and the authors explore the additional conditions for being a real configuration. In the last section, they apply these descriptions to recover representations of fundamental groups of a \(3\)-manifold in such a real form. For that purpose, they use the notion of decorated triangulation, building upon [\textit{N. Bergeron} et al., Geom. Topol. 18, No. 4, 1911--1971 (2014; Zbl 1365.57023); \textit{T. Dimofte} et al., J. High Energy Phys. 2016, No. 11, Paper No. 151, 147 p. (2016; Zbl 1390.81320); \textit{S. Garoufalidis} et al., Algebr. Geom. Topol. 15, No. 1, 565--622 (2015; Zbl 1347.57014)].