Wonderful models for toric arrangements

We build a wonderful model for toric arrangements. We develop the "toric analog" of the combinatorics of nested sets, which allows to define a family of smooth open sets covering the model. In this way we prove that the model is smooth, and we give a precise geometric and combinatorial description of the normal crossing divisor.Comment: Final version, to appear on IMRN. 23 pages, 1 pictur

On some modules of covariants for a reflection group

Let $\mathfrak g$ be a simple Lie algebra with Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak h$ and Weyl group $W$. We build up a graded map $(\mathcal H\otimes \bigwedge\mathfrak h\otimes \mathfrak h)^W\to (\bigwedge \mathfrak g\otimes \mathfrak g)^\mathfrak g$ of $(\bigwedge \mathfrak g)^\mathfrak g\cong S(\mathfrak h)^W$-modules, where $\mathcal H$ is the space of $W$-harmonics. In this way we prove an enhanced form of a conjecture of Reeder for the adjoint representation. New version with different title. Various improvements. New section 7.Comment: 18 Page

Topological invariants from non-restricted quantum groups

We introduce the notion of a relative spherical category. We prove that such a category gives rise to the generalized Kashaev and Turaev-Viro-type 3-manifold invariants defined in arXiv:1008.3103 and arXiv:0910.1624, respectively. In this case we show that these invariants are equal and extend to what we call a relative Homotopy Quantum Field Theory which is a branch of the Topological Quantum Field Theory founded by E. Witten and M. Atiyah. Our main examples of relative spherical categories are the categories of finite dimensional weight modules over non-restricted quantum groups considered by C. De Concini, V. Kac, C. Procesi, N. Reshetikhin and M. Rosso. These categories are not semi-simple and have an infinite number of non-isomorphic irreducible modules all having vanishing quantum dimensions. We also show that these categories have associated ribbon categories which gives rise to re-normalized link invariants. In the case of sl(2) these link invariants are the Alexander-type multivariable invariants defined by Y. Akutsu, T. Deguchi, and T. Ohtsuki.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure

The algebra of the box spline

In this paper we want to revisit results of Dahmen and Micchelli on box-splines which we reinterpret and make more precise. We compare these ideas with the work of Brion, Szenes, Vergne and others on polytopes and partition functions.Comment: 69 page

Nesting maps of Grassmannians

Let F be a field and i < j be integers between 1 and n. A map of Grassmannians f : Gr(i, F^n) --> Gr(j, F^n) is called nesting, if l is contained in f(l) for every l in Gr(i, F^n). We show that there are no continuous nesting maps over C and no algebraic nesting maps over any algebraically closed field F, except for a few obvious ones. The continuous case is due to Stong and Grover-Homer-Stong; the algebraic case in characteristic zero can also be deduced from their results. In this paper we give new proofs that work in arbitrary characteristic. As a corollary, we give a description of the algebraic subbundles of the tangent bundle to the projective space P^n over F. Another application can be found in a recent paper math.AC/0306126 of George Bergman

The quotient of a complete symmetric variety

We study the quotient of a completion of a symmetric variety G/H under the action of H. We prove that this is isomorphic to the closure of the image of an isotropic torus under the action of the restricted Weyl group. In the case the completion is smooth and toroidal we describe the set of semistable points.Comment: Dedicated to Ernest Vinberg on occasion of his 70th birthda

The adjoint representation inside the exterior algebra of a simple Lie algebra

For a simple complex Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$ we study the space of invariants $A=\left( \bigwedge \mathfrak g^*\otimes\mathfrak g^*\right)^{\mathfrak g}$, (which describes the isotypic component of type $\mathfrak g$ in $\bigwedge \mathfrak g^*$) as a module over the algebra of invariants $\left(\bigwedge \mathfrak g^*\right)^{\mathfrak g}$. As main result we prove that $A$ is a free module, of rank twice the rank of $\mathfrak g$, over the exterior algebra generated by all primitive invariants in $(\bigwedge \mathfrak g^*)^{\mathfrak g}$, with the exception of the one of highest degree.Comment: Final version. More misprints corrected. To appear in Advances in Mathematic