Members’ Seminar

Consider a rational homogeneous variety \(X\). (For example, take \(X\) to be the Grassmannian \(\mathrm{Gr}(k,n)\) of \(k\)-planes in complex \(n\)-space.) The Schubert classes of \(X\) form a free additive basis of the integral homology of \(X\). Given a Schubert class \([S]\), represented by a Schubert variety \(S\) in \(X\), Borel and Haefliger asked: aside from the Schubert variety, does \([S]\) admit any other algebraic representatives? I will discuss this, and related questions, in the case that \(X\) is Hermitian symmetric.