Real solutions of a problem in enumerative geometry

Abstract

We study a 2-parameter family of enumerative problems over the reals. Over the complex field, these problems can be solved by Schubert calculus. In the real case the number of solutions can be different on the distinct connected components of the configuration space, resulting in a solution function. The cohomology calculation in the real case only gives the signed sum of the solutions, therefore in general it only gives a lower bound on the range of the solution function. We calculate the solution function for the 2-parameter family and we show that in the even cases the solution function is constant modulo 4. We show how to determine the sign of a solution and describe the connected components of the configuration space. We translate the problem to the language of quivers and also give a geometric interpretation of the sign. Finally, we discuss what aspects might be considered when solving other real enumerative problems.