The Decomposition Theorem and the Intersection Cohomology of Quotients in Algebraic Geometry

We present several approaches to equivariant intersection cohomology. We show that for a complete algebraic variety acted by a connected algebraic group $G$ it is a free module over $H^*(BG)$. The result follows from the decomposition theorem or from a weight argument.

This text is an introduction to equivariant cohomology, a classical tool for topological transformation groups, and to equivariant intersection theory, a much more recent topic initiated by D. Edidin and W. Graham. It is based on lectures given at Montr\'eal is Summer 1997. Our main aim is to obtain explicit descriptions of cohomology or Chow rings of certain manifolds with group actions which arise in representation theory, e.g. homogeneous spaces and their compactificatio...

If G is a reductive group which acts on a linearized smooth scheme $X$ then we show that under suitable standard conditions the derived category of coherent sheaves of the corresponding GIT quotient stack $X^{ss}/G$ has a semi-orthogonal decomposition consisting of derived categories of coherent sheaves of rings on the categorical quotient $X^{ss}/\!/G$ which are locally of finite global dimension. One of the components of the decomposition is a certain non-commutative resolu...

Let $G$ be a complex connected reductive algebraic group that acts on a smooth complex algebraic variety $X$, and let $E$ be a $G$-equivariant algebraic vector bundle over $X$. A section of $E$ is regular if it is transversal to the zero section. Let $U\subset\Gamma(X,E)$ be the subset of regular sections. We give a sufficient condition in terms of topological invariants of $E$ and $X$ that implies that every orbit map $O\colon G\to U$ induces a surjection in rational cohomol...

Given an action of a complex reductive Lie group G on a normal variety X, we show that every analytically Zariski-open subset of X admitting an analytic Hilbert quotient with projective quotient space is given as the set of semistable points with respect to some G-linearised Weil divisor on X. Applying this result to Hamiltonian actions on algebraic varieties we prove that semistability with respect to a momentum map is equivalent to GIT-semistability in the sense of Mumfor...

Given a smooth variety $X$ with an action of a finite group $G$, and a semiorthogonal decomposition of the derived category, $\mathcal{D}([X/G])$, of $G$-equivariant coherent sheaves on $X$ into subcategories equivalent to derived categories of smooth varieties, we construct a similar semiorthogonal decomposition for a smooth $G$-invariant divisor in $X$ (under certain technical assumptions). Combining this procedure with the semiorthogonal decompositions constructed in [PV15...

Let $H$ be a complex linear algebraic group with internally graded unipotent radical acting on a complex projective variety $X$. Given an ample linearisation of the action and an associated Fubini-Study K\"ahler form which is invariant for a maximal compact subgroup $Q$ of $H$, we define a notion of moment map for the action of $H$, and under suitable conditions (that the linearisation is well-adapted and semistability coincides with stability) we describe the (non-reductive)...

Let $k$ be a field, let $G$ be a reductive group, and let $V$ be a linear representation of $G$. Let $V//G = Spec(Sym(V^*))^G$ denote the geometric quotient and let $\pi: V \to V//G$ denote the quotient map. Arithmetic invariant theory studies the map $\pi$ on the level of $k$-rational points. In this article, which is a continuation of the results of our earlier paper "Arithmetic invariant theory", we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a rational element of $V//...

In this paper we shall give formulas for the pairings of intersection cohomology classes of complementary dimensions in the intersection cohomology of geometric invariant theoretic quotients for which semistability is not necessarily the same as stability (although we make some weaker assumptions on the action). We also give formulas for intersection pairings on resolutions of singularities (or more precisely partial resolutions, since orbifold singularities are allowed) of t...

Let $X$ be a projective variety with a torus action, which for simplicity we assume to have dimension 1. If $X$ is a smooth complex variety, then the geometric invariant theory quotient $X//G$ can be identifed with the symplectic reduction $X_r$. Lerman introduced a construction (valid for symplectic manifolds) called symplectic cutting, which constructs a manifold $X_c$, such that $X_c$ is the union of $X_r$ and an open subset $X_{>0} \subset X$. Moreover, there is a natural...