Which Hessenberg varieties are GKM?

TL;DR

This paper investigates which Hessenberg varieties in type A are GKM spaces, identifying specific families with torus actions that have isolated fixed points and finite one-dimensional orbits, and explores their geometric properties.

Contribution

The paper classifies certain Hessenberg varieties in type A as GKM spaces and analyzes their torus stability and geometric structure, highlighting which are unions of Schubert varieties.

Findings

Some Hessenberg varieties are GKM spaces with isolated fixed points.

Not all Hessenberg varieties with torus actions are GKM.

Certain Hessenberg varieties are unions of Schubert varieties.

Abstract

Hessenberg varieties $\mathcal{H}(X,H)$ form a class of subvarieties of the flag variety $G/B$, parameterized by an operator $X$ and certain subspaces $H$ of the Lie algebra of $G$. We identify several families of Hessenberg varieties in type $A_{n-1}$ that are $T$-stable subvarieties of $G/B$, as well as families that are invariant under a subtorus $K$ of $T$. In particular, these varieties are candidates for the use of equivariant methods to study their geometry. Indeed, we are able to show that some of these varieties are unions of Schubert varieties, while others cannot be such unions. Among the $T$-stable Hessenberg varieties, we identify several that are {\it GKM spaces}, meaning $T$ acts with isolated fixed points and a finite number of one-dimensional orbits, though we also show that not all Hessenberg varieties with torus actions and finitely many fixed points are GKM. We conclude with a series of open questions about Hessenberg varieties, both in type $A_{n-1}$ and in general Lie type.