Hessenberg varieties and hyperplane arrangements

Given a semisimple complex linear algebraic group $G$ and a lower ideal $I$ in positive roots of $G$, three objects arise: the ideal arrangement $mathcal{A}_I$, the regular nilpotent Hessenberg variety $mbox{Hess}(N,I)$, and the regular semisimple Hessenberg variety $mbox{Hess}(S,I)$. We show that a certain graded ring derived from the logarithmic derivation module of $mathcal{A}_I$ is isomorphic to $H^*(mbox{Hess}(N,I))$ and $H^*(mbox{Hess}(S,I))^W$, the invariants in $H^*(mbox{Hess}(S,I))$ under an action of the Weyl group $W$ of $G$. This isomorphism is shown for general Lie type, and generalizes Borels celebrated theorem showing that the coinvariant algebra of $W$ is isomorphic to the cohomology ring of the flag variety $G/B$. This surprising connection between Hessenberg varieties and hyperplane arrangements enables us to produce a number of interesting consequences. For instance, the surjectivity of the restriction map $H^*(G/B)to H^*(mbox{Hess}(N,I))$ announced by Dale Peterson and an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Sommers-Tymoczko are immediate consequences. We also give an explicit ring presentation of $H^*(mbox{Hess}(N,I))$ in types $B$, $C$, and $G$. Such a presentation was already known in type $A$ or when $mbox{Hess}(N,I)$ is the Peterson variety. Moreover, we find the volume polynomial of $mbox{Hess}(N,I)$ and see that the hard Lefschetz property and the Hodge-Riemann relations hold for $mbox{Hess}(N,I)$, despite the fact that it is a singular variety in general.