Totally positive secant conjecture for Schubert problems

Let 0kn0\le k\le n, and let I1,,Ik(nk)I_1,\dots,I_{k(n-k)} be pairwise disjoint intervals of P1(R)\mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{R}). For each ll, let XlX_l be a multiset of kk points in IlI_l, and let WlGrk,n(R)W_l\in\operatorname{Gr}_{k,n}(\mathbb{R}) be spanned by γ(x),γ(x),,γ(p1)(x)\gamma(x),\gamma'(x),\dots,\gamma^{(p-1)}(x) for every xXlx\in X_l, where pp is the multiplicity of xx in XlX_l. A real Grassmannian point is totally nonnegative, respectively totally positive, when all its Plücker coordinates are nonnegative, respectively positive, up to rescaling. Totally positive secant conjecture. If every Il[0,]I_l\subseteq[0,\infty], the Schubert problem has dk,nd_{k,n} distinct solutions UGrnk,n(C)U\in\operatorname{Gr}_{n-k,n}(\mathbb{C}), all real and totally nonnegative; if every Il(0,)I_l\subseteq(0,\infty), it has dk,nd_{k,n} distinct solutions, all real and totally positive. This is a totally positive analogue of the secant conjecture and implies it; the two parts are equivalent by a limiting argument, but the conjecture remains open.

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Primary source

Steven N. Karp, “Wronskians, total positivity, and real Schubert calculus”, arXiv:2110.02301 (2023).

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