A Fano compactification of the SL₂(C) free group character variety
Let \(F_g\) be a free group of rank \(g\), and \(G=\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})\). The set of group homomorphisms \(\mathcal{R}_g:=\mathrm{Hom}(F_g,G)\) has the structure of an affine variety. Letting \(G\) act on \(\mathcal{R}_g\) by conjugation, the affine quotient \(\mathcal{X}_g:=\mathcal{R}_g/\!/G\), arising as the spectrum of the ring of invariants \(\mathbb{C}[\mathcal{R}_g]^G\), is the \(G\)-character variety of \(F_g\). There is a natural compactification of \(\mathcal{X}_g\), denoted in the paper under review by \(\mathfrak{X}_g\), constructed in [\textit{C. Manon}, Can. J. Math. 70, No. 2, 354--399 (2018; Zbl 1408.14164)] and generalized in [\textit{I. Biswas} et al., Pac. J. Math. 302, No. 2, 413--435 (2019; Zbl 1439.14149)]. A \textit{Fano} variety is a complete variety whose anti-canonical bundle is ample. The main theorem in this interesting paper proves that \(\mathfrak{X}_g\) is Fano. As the authors note in the introduction, they prove this result by constructing a toric flat family with general fiber \(\mathfrak{X}_g\) and special fiber a Fano toric variety. The special fiber is associated to a polytope, and to establish the special fiber has the requisite properties for the main theorem, the authors show its associated polytope is normal and its third Minkowski sum is integral and reflexive (this is their second main theorem). It would be fascinating to try to show the main result, that \(\mathfrak{X}_g\) is Fano, generalizes to character varieties with respect to other (reductive) algebraic groups. The authors say they expect it should.
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