Stratification of singular hyperkahler quotients

Abstract

Hyperkahler quotients by non-free actions are typically highly singular, but are remarkably still partitioned into smooth hyperkahler manifolds. We show that these partitions are topological stratifications, in a strong sense. We also endow the quotients with global Poisson structures which induce the hyperkahler structures on the strata. Finally, we give a local model which shows that these quotients are locally isomorphic to linear complex-symplectic reductions in the GIT sense. These results can be thought of as the hyperkahler analogues of Sjamaar-Lerman's theorems for symplectic reduction. They are based on a local normal form for the underlying complex-Hamiltonian manifold, which may be of independent interest.

28 pages. v2: new introduction and minor modifications and additions