Gorenstein Semigroup Algebras of Weighted Trees

Abstract

We classify exactly when the toric algebras $\C[S_{\tree}(\br)]$ are Gorenstein. These algebras arise as toric deformations of algebras of invariants of the Cox-Nagata ring of the blow-up of $n-1$ points on $\mathbb{P}^{n-3}$, or equivalently algebras of the ring of global sections for the Pl\"ucker embedding of weight varieties of the Grassmanian $Gr_2(\C^n)$, and algebras of global sections for embeddings of moduli of weighted points on $\mathbb{P}^1$. As a corollary, we find exactly when these families of rings are Gorenstein as well.