Real algebraic surfaces with isolated singularities

Given a real algebraic surface S in RP3, we propose a constructive procedure to determine the topology of S and to compute non-trivial topological invariants for the pair (RP3, S) under the hypothesis that the real singularities of S are isolated. In particular, starting from an implicit equation of the surface, we compute the number of connected components of S, their Euler characteristics and the weighted 2-adjacency graph of the surface

Affine algebraic groups with periodic components

A connected component of an affine algebraic group is called periodic if all its elements have finite order. We give a characterization of periodic components in terms of automorphisms with finite number of fixed points. It is also discussed which connected groups have finite extensions with periodic components. The results are applied to the study of the normalizer of a maximal torus in a simple algebraic group.Comment: 20 page

A connectedness property of algebraic moment maps

Let a connected reductive group G act on the smooth connected variety X. The cotangent bundle of X is a Hamiltonian G-variety. We show that its "total moment map" has connected fibers. This is an expanded version of section 6 of my paper dg-ga/9712010 on Weyl groups of Hamiltonian manifolds.Comment: 15 page

AdS4 backgrounds with N>16 supersymmetries in 10 and 11 dimensions

We explore all warped $AdS_4\times_w M^{D-4}$ backgrounds with the most general allowed fluxes that preserve more than 16 supersymmetries in $D=10$- and $11$-dimensional supergravities. After imposing the assumption that either the internal space $M^{D-4}$ is compact without boundary or the isometry algebra of the background decomposes into that of AdS$_4$ and that of $M^{D-4}$, we find that there are no such backgrounds in IIB supergravity. Similarly in IIA supergravity, there is a unique such background with 24 supersymmetries locally isometric to $AdS_4\times \mathbb{CP}^3$, and in $D=11$ supergravity all such backgrounds are locally isometric to the maximally supersymmetric $AdS_4\times S^7$ solution.Comment: 53 pages. v2: minor changes and references added. v3: typos corrected and minor footnote added, published versio