Orbit closures in flag varieties for the centralizer of an order-two nilpotent element : normality and resolutions for types A, B, D

Abstract

Let G be a reductive algebraic group in classical types A, B, D and e be an element of its Lie algebra with Z its centraliser in G for the adjoint action. We suppose that e identifies with an nilpotent matrix of order two, which guarantees the number of Z-orbits in the flag variety of G is finite. For types B, D in characteristic two, we also suppose the image of e is totally isotropic. We show that any closure Y of such orbit is normal. We also prove that Y is Cohen-Macaulay with rational singularities provided that the base field is of characteristic zero, and that Cohen-Macaulayness remains in any characteristic for type A. We exhibit a birational, rational morphism onto Y involving Schubert varieties. Our work generalizes a result by N. Perrin and E. Smirnov on Springer fibers ([PS12]).