Diagram automorphisms of quiver varieties

We show that the fixed-point subvariety of a Nakajima quiver variety under a diagram automorphism is a disconnected union of quiver varieties for the `split-quotient quiver' introduced by Reiten and Riedtmann. As a special case, quiver varieties of type D arise as the connected components of fixed-point subvarieties of diagram involutions of quiver varieties of type A. In the case where the quiver varieties of type A correspond to small self-dual representations, we show that the diagram involutions coincide with classical involutions of two-row Slodowy varieties. It follows that certain quiver varieties of type D are isomorphic to Slodowy varieties for orthogonal or symplectic Lie algebras.