Helix Structures in Quantum Cohomology of Fano Varieties

Abstract: In this paper we consider a conjecture formulated by the second author in occasion of the 1998 ICM in Berlin (arXiv:math/9807034v2). This conjecture states the equivalence, for a Fano variety $X$, of the semisimplicity condition for the quantum cohomology $QH^\bullet(X)$ with the existence condition of full exceptional collections in the derived category of coherent sheaves $\mathcal D^b(X)$. Furthermore, in its quantitative formulation, the conjecture also prescribes an explicit relationship between the monodromy data of $QH^\bullet(X)$ and characteristic classes of both $X$ and objects of the exceptional collections. In this paper we reformulate a refinement of (arXiv:math/9807034v2), which corrects a previous ansatz (lecture of the second author at Strasbourg) for what concerns the conjectural expression of the central connection matrix. We clarify the precise relationship between the refined conjecture presented in this paper and $\Gamma$-conjecture II of S. Galkin, V. Golyshev and H. Iritani (arXiv:1404.6407v4, arXiv:1508.00719v3). Through an explicit computation of the monodromy data and a detailed analysis of the action of the braid group on both the monodromy data and the set of exceptional collections, we prove the validity of our refined conjecture for all complex Grassmannians $\mathbb G(r,k)$. From these results, it is outlined an explicit description of the "geography" of the exceptional collections realizable at points of the small quantum cohomology of Grassmannians, i.e. corresponding to the monodromy data at these points. In particular, it is proved that Kapranov's exceptional collection appears at points of the small quantum cohomology only for Grassmannians of small dimension (namely, less or equal than 2). Finally, a property of quasi-periodicity of the Stokes matrices of complex Grassmannians, along the locus of the small quantum cohomology, is described.