Eigenvalue Coincidences and K-orbits, I

We study the variety $\mathfrak{g}(l)$ consisting of matrices $x \in \mathfrak{gl}(n,\C)$ such that $x$ and its $n-1$ by $n-1$ cutoff $x_{n-1}$ share exactly $l$ eigenvalues, counted with multiplicity. We determine the irreducible components of $\mathfrak{g}(l)$ by using the orbits of $GL(n-1,\C)$ on the flag variety $\B_n$ of $\mathfrak{gl}(n,\C)$. More precisely, let $\mathfrak{b} \in \B_n$ be a Borel subalgebra such that the orbit $GL(n-1,\C)\cdot \mathfrak{b}$ in $\B_n$ has codimension $l$. Then we show that the set $Y_{\fb}:= \{\Ad(g)(x): x\in \mathfrak{b} \cap \mathfrak{g}(l), g\in GL(n-1,\C)\}$ is an irreducible component of $\mathfrak{g}(l)$, and every irreducible component of of $\mathfrak{g}(l)$ is of the form $Y_{\mathfrak{b}}$, where $\mathfrak{b}$ lies in a $GL(n-1,\C)$-orbit of codimension $l$. An important ingredient in our proof is the flatness of a variant of a morphism considered by Kostant and Wallach, and we prove this flatness assertion using ideas from symplectic geometry.