Wednesday, 23 August 2006

ag.algebraic geometry - Why do flag manifolds, in the P(V_rho) embedding, look like products of P^1s?

Your first question is about two objects becoming isomorphic after quantization, and you're asking "Why?"



Here, the relevant quantum object is the spin representation of mathfrakgmathfrakg, which is a representation of mathfrakgltimesmathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathfrakgltimesmathitCliff(mathfrakg),
where mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg) is the Clifford algebra of (the underlying vector space of) mathfrakgmathfrakg, with respect to some invariant inner product; a mathbbZ/2mathbbZ/2-graded algebra.



Let SS be the unique (up to grading reversal) irreducible mathbbZ/2mathbbZ/2-graded representation of mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg). It has a graded-commuting action of
C:=begin{cases}mathbb C&text{ if }quad dim(mathfrak g) text{ is even} \ mathit{Cliff}(1)&text{ if }quad dim(mathfrak g) text{ is odd.} end{cases}C:=begin{cases}mathbb C&text{ if }quad dim(mathfrak g) text{ is even} \ mathit{Cliff}(1)&text{ if }quad dim(mathfrak g) text{ is odd.} end{cases}
Let VV be the category of modules of the above algebra, so that SinVSinV.
To make things a bit more canonical, one can use the graded Morita equivalence between CC and mathitCliff(mathfrakh)mathitCliff(mathfrakh) to identify VV with the category of mathitCliff(mathfrakh)mathitCliff(mathfrakh)-modules.



Let alphaalpha denote the adjoint action of GG on mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg). For any element ginGginG, we can pre-compose the action of mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg) on SS by alphagalphag to get a new, isomorphic mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg)-module in VV [here, I'm using that GG is connected].
The map that sends gg to such an isomorphism is unique up to scalar, and so we get a projective representation of GG on SS.



If GG is simply connected, this lifts to an honest action of GG on SS, and so we get an action of GltimesmathitCliff(mathfrakg)GltimesmathitCliff(mathfrakg) on the object SinVSinV.



All in all, (the underlying vector space of) SS has actions of GG, of mathitCliff(mathfrakg)mathitCliff(mathfrakg), and of mathitCliff(mathfrakh)mathitCliff(mathfrakh).
Now, we can "cancel" two mathitCliff(mathfrakh)mathitCliff(mathfrakh) actions to get a vector space with actions of GG and of mathitCliff(mathfrakgominush)mathitCliff(mathfrakgominush).
That's the irreducible GG-rep with highest weight rhorho.



This vector space has two descriptions:
(1) The irreducible GG-rep with highest weight rhorho.
(2) The irreducible mathitCliff(mathfrakgominush)mathitCliff(mathfrakgominush)-module.



Note however that this operation of "canceling" the two mathitCliff(mathfrakh)mathitCliff(mathfrakh) actions is a bit unnatural.
For example, the vector space (1) is purely even, while (2) is genuinely mathbbZ/2mathbbZ/2-graded. You probably see that same weirdness on the classical side of the problem when you try to identify the flag variety with a product of mathbbP1mathbbP1s.

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