Stratified spaces formed by totally positive varieties (Q5954560)

Let \(G\) be a semisimple, simply connected algebraic group defined and split over \(\mathbb{R}\). Let \(B\) and \(B\_\) be two opposite Borel subgroups of \(G\). We denote by \(N\) and \(N\_\) the unipotent radicals of \(B\) and \(B\_\) respectively. We denote by \(Y\) the set of all totally nonnegative elements in \(N\). Let \(W\) be the Weyl group of \(G\). The group \(W\) is partially ordered by the Bruhat order, defined geometrically by \(u\leq v\Leftrightarrow B\_uB\_\subset\overline{B\_vB\_}\). The Bruhat decomposition \(G=\bigcup_{w\in W}B\_wB\_\) induces a partition of \(Y\) into mutually disjoint `totally positive varieties' \(Y_w^0=Y\cap B\_wB\_\), \(w\in W\). We write \(Y_w=\overline{Y_w^0}\). For \(u,v\in W\) (\(u\leq v\)), the Bruhat interval \([u,v]\) is defined by \([u,v]=\{u\leq w\leq v\}\), with the partial order inherited from \(W\). Similarly, \((u,v]=\{u<w\leq v\}\). It is natural to suggest that the geometric model for a Bruhat interval \([u,v]\) (or \((u,v]\)) is provided by the `link' \(\text{Lk}(u,v)=\text{lk}(Y_u^0,Y_v)\) of the cell \(Y_u^0\) inside the subcomplex \(Y_v\subset Y\). The authors prove that for any \(u\leq v\), the link \(\text{Lk}(u,v)\) is well-defined as a stratified space. The strata \(S_{u,v,w}=\text{Lk}(u,v)\cap Y_w^0\) are labelled by the elements \(w\in(u,v]\), and each stratum \(S_{u,v,w}\) is an open smooth manifold of dimension \(l(w)-l(u)-1\). The authors also prove when \(W\) is of type \(A\), all the strata \(S_{u,v,w}\) are orientable and each closed stratum \(\overline{S_{u,v,w}}\) is contractible. Moreover, the contraction can be chosen so that it restricts to a contraction of the open stratum \(S_{u,v,w}\). These results ensure that the stratified spaces \(\text{Lk}(u,v)\) have the desired homological properties, i.e., when \(W\) is of type \(A\), \[ H_i(\overline{S_{u,v,w}},\partial\overline{S_{u,v,w}})=\begin{cases}\mathbb{Z}\quad&\text{if }i=l(w)-l(u)-1,\\ 0\quad&\text{otherwise.}\end{cases} \] Consequently, \(\chi(\overline{S_{u,v,w}},\partial\overline{S_{u,v,w}})=(-1)^{l(w)-l(u)-1}\). Thus the authors deduce Verma's formula for type \(A\): \(\sum_{u\leq w\leq v}(-1)^{l(w)}=0\).