Invariants of reflection groups, arrangements, and normality of decomposition classes in Lie algebras

Suppose that W is a finite, unitary, reflection group acting on the complex vector space V and X is a subspace of V. Define N to be the setwise stabilizer of X in W, Z to be the pointwise stabilizer, and C=N/Z. Then restriction defines a homomorphism from the algebra of W-invariant polynomial functions on V to the algebra of C-invariant functions on X. In this note we consider the special case when W is a Coxeter group, V is the complexified reflection representation of W, and X is in the lattice of the arrangement of W, and give a simple, combinatorial characterization of when the restriction mapping is surjective in terms of the exponents of W and C. As an application of our result, in the case when W is the Weyl group of a semisimple, complex, Lie algebra, we complete a calculation begun by Richardson in 1987 and obtain a simple combinatorial characterization of regular decomposition classes whose closure is a normal variety.Comment: 11 pages revised 2/2012; to appear in Compos. Mat

Equivariant K-theory of generalized Steinberg varieties

We describe the equivariant K-groups of a family of generalized Steinberg varieties that interpolates between the Steinberg variety of a reductive, complex algebraic group and its nilpotent cone in terms of the extended affine Hecke algebra and double cosets in the extended affine Weyl group. As an application, we use this description to define Kazhdan-Lusztig "bar" involutions and Kazhdan-Lusztig bases for these equivariant K-groups.Comment: 29 pages; final versio

Schur-Weyl duality and the free Lie algebra

We prove an analogue of Schur-Weyl duality for the space of homogeneous Lie polynomials of degree r in n variables.Comment: 15 pages; revisions suggested by a refere

Modules for Yokonuma-type Hecke algebras

This paper describes the module categories for a family of generic Hecke algebras that specialize to the complex reflection groups G(r,1,n) and to the certain endomorphism rings of permutation characters of finite general linear groups. In particular, complete sets of inequivalent, irreducible modules for semisimple specializations of these algebras are constructed.Comment: 24 pages; Introduction reworded and section 4 revised in response to referee comment

On the Invariants of the Cohomology of Complements of Coxeter Arrangements

We refine Brieskorn's study of the cohomology of the complement of the reflection arrangement of a finite Coxeter group $W$. As a result we complete the verification of a conjecture by Felder and Veselov that gives an explicit basis of the space of $W$-invariants in this cohomology ring.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; final versio

Restricting invariants of unitary reflection groups

Suppose that G is a finite, unitary reflection group acting on a complex vector space V and X is the fixed point subspace of an element of G. Define N to be the setwise stabilizer of X in G, Z to be the pointwise stabilizer, and C=N/Z. Then restriction defines a homomorphism from the algebra of G-invariant polynomial functions on V to the algebra of C-invariant functions on X. Extending earlier work by Douglass and Roehrle for Coxeter groups, we characterize when the restriction mapping is surjective for arbitrary unitary reflection groups G in terms of the exponents of G and C, and their reflection arrangements. A consequence of our main result is that the variety of G-orbits in the G-saturation of X is smooth if and only if it is normal.Comment: 28 pages, includes tables; revisions suggested by a refere

Computations for Coxeter arrangements and Solomon's descent algebra III: Groups of rank seven and eight

In this paper we extend the computations in parts I and II of this series of papers and complete the proof of a conjecture of Lehrer and Solomon expressing the character of a finite Coxeter group W acting on the pth graded component of its Orlik-Solomon algebra as a sum of characters induced from linear characters of centralizers of elements of W for groups of rank seven and eight. For classical Coxeter groups, these characters are given using a formula that is expected to hold in all ranks.Comment: Minor changes; final versio

The homology of the Steinberg variety and Weyl group coinvariants

Let G be a complex, connected, reductive algebraic group with Weyl group W and Steinberg variety Z. We show that the graded Borel-Moore homology of Z is isomorphic to the smash product of the coinvariant algebra of W and the group algebra of W.Comment: 17 pages, to appear in Documenta Mat

The Leray-Hirsch Theorem for equivariant oriented cohomology of flag varieties

We use the formal affine Demazure algebra to construct an explicit Leray-Hirsch Theorem for torus equivariant oriented cohomology of flag varieties. We then generalize the Borel model of such theory to partial flag varieties.Comment: 17 pages. Comments are welcom

The Steinberg Variety and Representations of Reductive Groups

We give an overview of some of the main results in geometric representation theory that have been proved by means of the Steinberg variety. Steinberg's insight was to use such a variety of triples in order to prove a conjectured formula by Grothendieck. The Steinberg variety was later used to give an alternative approach to Springer's representations and played a central role in the proof of the Deligne-Langlands conjecture for Hecke algebras by Kazhdan and Lusztig.Comment: 37 pages; significant revision and extension; to appear in J. Algebr