Cohomology for quantum groups via the geometry of the nullcone

Let $\zeta$ be a complex $\ell$th root of unity for an odd integer $\ell>1$. For any complex simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$, let $u_\zeta=u_\zeta({\mathfrak g})$ be the associated "small" quantum enveloping algebra. In general, little is known about the representation theory of quantum groups (resp., algebraic groups) when $l$ (resp., $p$) is smaller than the Coxeter number $h$ of the underlying root system. For example, Lusztig's conjecture concerning the characters of the rational irreducible $G$-modules stipulates that $p \geq h$. The main result in this paper provides a surprisingly uniform answer for the cohomology algebra $\opH^\bullet(u_\zeta,{\mathbb C})$ of the small quantum group. When $\ell>h$, this cohomology algebra has been calculated by Ginzburg and Kumar \cite{GK}. Our result requires powerful tools from complex geometry and a detailed knowledge of the geometry of the nullcone of $\mathfrak g$. In this way, the methods point out difficulties present in obtaining similar results for the restricted enveloping algebra $u$ in small characteristics, though they do provide some clarification of known results there also. Finally, we establish that if $M$ is a finite dimensional $u_\zeta$-module, then $\opH^\bullet(u_\zeta,M)$ is a finitely generated $\opH^\bullet(u_\zeta,\mathbb C)$-module, and we obtain new results on the theory of support varieties for $u_\zeta$.