Chow quotients of $\mathbb{C}^*$-actions

Given an action of the one-dimensional torus on a projective variety, the associated Chow quotient arises as a natural parameter space of invariant $1$-cycles, which dominates the GIT quotients of the variety. In this paper we explore the relation between the Chow and the GIT quotients of a variety, showing how to construct explicitly the former upon the latter via successive blowups under suitable assumptions. We also discuss conditions for the smoothness of the Chow quotient, and present some examples in which it is singular.
Comment: Improved version. 32 pages, 4 figures