We prove that the Hilbert scheme of 11 points on a smooth threefold is irreducible. In the course of the proof, we present several known and new techniques for producing curves on the Hilbert scheme.
In this paper we compute the Hilbert functions of irreducible (or smooth) and reduced arithmetically Gorenstein schemes that are twisted anti-canonical divisors on arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay schemes. We also prove some folklore results characterizing the Hilbert functions of irreducible standard determinantal schemes, and we use them to produce a new class of functions that occur as Hilbert functions of irreducible (or smooth) and reduced arithmetically Gorenstein schemes in any codimension.
The multigraded Hilbert scheme parametrizes all homogeneous ideals in a polynomial ring graded by an abelian group with a fixed Hilbert function. We prove that any multigraded Hilbert scheme is smooth and irreducible when the polynomial ring is ZZ[x,y], which establishes a conjecture of Haiman and Sturmfels.
We characterize Hilbert polynomials that give rise to Hilbert schemes with two Borel-fixed points and determine when the associated Hilbert schemes or their irreducible components are smooth. In particular, we show that the Hilbert scheme is reduced and has at most two irreducible components. By describing the singularities in a neighbourhood of the Borel-fixed points, we prove that the irreducible components are Cohen-Macaulay and normal. We end by giving many examples of Hilbert schemes with three Borel-fixed points.
The toric Hilbert scheme of a lattice L in Z^n is the multigraded Hilbert scheme parameterizing all ideals in k[x_1,...,x_n] with Hilbert function value one for every degree in the grading monoid N^n/L. In this paper we show that if L is two-dimensional, then the toric Hilbert scheme of L is smooth and irreducible. This result is false for lattices of dimension three and higher as the toric Hilbert scheme of a rank three lattice can be reducible.
Let H_{ab} be the equivariant Hilbert scheme parametrizing the 0-dimensional subschemes of the affine plane invariant under the natural action of the one-dimensional torus T_{ab}:={(t^{-b},t^a), t\in k^*}. We compute the irreducible components of H_{ab}: they are in one-one correspondence with a set of Hilbert functions. As a by-product of the proof, we give new proofs of results by Ellingsrud and Stromme, namely the main lemma of the computation of the Betti numbers of the Hilbert scheme H^l parametrizing the 0-dimensional subschemes of the affine plane of length l and a description of Bialyn…
We develop a new general method for computing the decomposition type of the normal bundle to a projective rational curve. This method is then used to detect and explain an example of a Hilbert scheme that parametrizes all the rational curves in $\mathbb{P}^s$ with a given decomposition type of the normal bundle and that has exactly two irreducible components. This gives a negative answer to the very old question whether such Hilbert schemes are always irreducible. We also characterize smooth non-degenerate rational curves contained in rational normal scroll surfaces in terms of the splitting t…
Two approaches for determining Hilbert functions of fat point subschemes of $\mathbb P^2$ are demonstrated. A complete determination of the Hilbert functions which occur for 9 double points is given using the first approach, extending results obtained in a previous paper using the second approach. In addition the second approach is used to obtain a complete determination of the Hilbert functions for $n\geq 9$ $m$-multiple points for every $m$ if the points are smooth points of an irreducible plane cubic curve. Additional results are obtained using the first approach for $n\geq 9$ double points…
We show that the Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities of the reductions to positive characteristics of an irreducible projective curve in characteristic 0 have a well-defined limit as the characteristic tends to infinity.
Following the approach in the book "Commutative Algebra", by D. Eisenbud, where the author describes the generic initial ideal by means of a suitable total order on the terms of an exterior power, we introduce first the generic initial extensor of a subset of a Grassmannian and then the double-generic initial ideal of a so-called GL-stable subset of a Hilbert scheme. We discuss the features of these new notions and introduce also a partial order which gives another useful description of them. The double-generic initial ideals turn out to be the appropriate points to understand some geometric p…
It is known that the variety parametrizing pairs of commuting nilpotent matrices is irreducible and that this provides a proof of the irreducibility of the punctual Hilbert scheme in the plane. We extend this link to the nilpotent commuting variety of parabolic subalgebras of $M\_n(\K)$ and to the punctual nested Hilbert scheme. By this method, we obtain a lower bound on the dimension of these moduli spaces. We characterize the numerical conditions under which they are irreducible. In some reducible cases, we describe the irreducible components and their dimension.
We show that Hilbert schemes of points on supersingular Enriques surface in characteristic 2 are simply connected, symplectic varieties but are not irreducible symplectic as the hodge number $h^{2,0} > 1$, even though a supersingular Enriques surface is an irreducible symplectic variety. These are the classes of varieties which appear only in characteristic 2 and they show that the hodge number formula for Göttsche-Soergel does not hold over characteristic 2. It also gives examples of varieties with trivial canonical class which are neither irreducible symplectic nor Calabi-Yau, thereby showin…
In this paper we determine the irreducible components of the Hilbert schemes H(4,g) of locally Cohen-Macaulay space curves of degree four and arbitrary arithmetic genus g. We show that these Hilbert schemes are connected, in spite of having about g^2/24 irreducible components. For g < -2 we exhibit a component that is disjoint from the component of extremal curves and use this to give a counterexample to a conjecture of Ait-Amrane and Perrin.
We give a short, elementary and explicit proof of the existence of Hilbert schemes of points on affine schemes. As a direct consequence we obtain the existence of the Hilbert scheme of points on any projective scheme, not necessarily of finite type, over any base scheme.
Closed subschemes in projective space with a fixed Hilbert polynomial are parametrized by a Hilbert scheme. We classify the smooth ones. We identify numerical conditions on a polynomial that completely determine when the Hilbert scheme is smooth. We also reinterpret these smooth Hilbert schemes as generalized partial flag varieties and describe the subschemes being parametrized.
We study the component structures of some standard-graded Hilbert schemes closely related to a Hilbert scheme of curves studied by Gotzmann. In particular, we encounter examples of singular lex-segment points lying on two and three irreducible components. We find further singular lex-segment points at nearby Hilbert schemes. We conclude by showing that the analogous example at the Hilbert scheme of twisted cubics also has a singular lex-segment point.
Let $k$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0 and let $H_G(d,N)$ be the open locus of the Hilbert scheme $H(d,N)$ corresponding to Gorenstein subschemes of degree $d$ in the projective N-space. We proved in a previous paper that $H_G(d,N)$ is irreducible for $d\le9$ and $N\ge1$. In the present paper we prove that also $H_G(10,N)$ is irreducible for each $N\ge1$, giving also a complete description of its singular locus.
We generalize the Bialynicki-Birula decomposition to singular schemes and apply it to the Hilbert scheme of points on an affine space. We find an infinite family of small, elementary and generically smooth components of the Hilbert scheme of points of the affine four-space. Our method gives easily verifiable sufficient conditions for proving that a point of the Hilbert scheme is smooth and lies on an elementary component. We also present a necessary condition for smoothability of a finite subscheme given by a homogeneous ideal.
We extend the recent classification of Hilbert schemes with two Borel-fixed points to arbitrary characteristic. We accomplish this by synthesizing Reeves' algorithm for generating strongly stable ideals with the basic properties of Borel-fixed ideals and our previous work classifying Hilbert schemes with unique Borel-fixed points.
Given $p$ polynomials with coefficients in a commutative unitary integral ring $\mathcal{C}$ containing $\mathbb{Q}$, we define the notion of a generic Bernstein-Sato polynomial on an irreducible affine scheme $V \subset \text{Spec}(\mathcal{C})$. We prove the existence of such a non zero rational polynomial which covers and generalizes previous existing results by H. Biosca. When $\mathcal{C}$ is the ring of an algebraic or analytic space, we deduce a stratification of the space of the parameters such that on each stratum, there is a non zero rational polynomial which is a Bernstein-Sato poly…
We provide an overview of the Macaulay2 package VersalDeformations, which algorithmically computes versal deformations of isolated singularities, as well as local (multi)graded Hilbert schemes.
We denote by $\mathcal{H}_{d,g,r}$ the Hilbert scheme of smooth curves, which is the union of components whose general point corresponds to a smooth irreducible and non-degenerate curve of degree $d$ and genus $g$ in $\PP^r$. In this note, we show that any non-empty $\mathcal{H}_{g+2,g,4}$ is irreducible without any restriction on the genus $g$. Our result augments the irreducibility result obtained earlier by Hristo Iliev(2006), in which several low genus $g\le 10$ cases have been left untreated.
We study the geometry of standard graded Hilbert schemes of polynomial rings and exterior algebras. Our investigation is motivated by a famous theorem of Reeves and Stillman for the Grothendieck Hilbert scheme, which states that the lexicographic point is smooth. By contrast, we show that, in standard graded Hilbert schemes of polynomial rings and exterior algebras, the lexicographic point can be singular, and it can lie in multiple irreducible components. We answer questions of Peeva-Stillman and of Maclagan-Smith.
The diagonal in a product of projective spaces is cut out by the ideal of 2x2-minors of a matrix of unknowns. The multigraded Hilbert scheme which classifies its degenerations has a unique Borel-fixed ideal. This Hilbert scheme is generally reducible, and its main component is a compactification of PGL(d)^n/PGL(d). For n=2 we recover the manifold of complete collineations. For projective lines we obtain a space of trees that is irreducible but singular. All ideals in our Hilbert scheme are radical. We also explore connections to affine buildings and Deligne schemes.
There is two group actions on the Fano scheme of lines such that the quotient becomes an irreducible symplectic manifold. We showed that both quotients are birational to the generalized Kummer variety or the 2-points Hilbert scheme of a K3 surface.
Let $\mathcal{I}_{d,g,r}$ be the union of irreducible components of the Hilbert scheme whose general points correspond to smooth irreducible non-degenerate curves of degree $d$ and genus $g$ in $\mathbb{P}^r$. We use families of curves on cones to show that under certain numerical assumptions for $d$, $g$ and $r$, the scheme $\mathcal{I}_{d,g,r}$ acquires generically smooth components whose general points correspond to curves that are double covers of irrational curves. In particular, in the case $ρ(d,g,r) := g-(r+1)(g-d+r) \geq 0$ we construct explicitly a regular component that is different …
We study the Hilbert scheme of Palatini threefolds X in P^5. We prove that such a scheme has an irreducible component containing X which is birational to the Grassmannian G(3,14) and we determine the exceptional locus of the birational map.
Let $\mathcal{I}_{d,g,R}$ be the union of irreducible components of the Hilbert scheme whose general points parametrize smooth, irreducible, curves of degree $d$, genus $g$, which are non--degenerate in the projective space $\mathbb{P}^R$. Under some numerical assumptions on $d$, $g$ and $R$, we construct irreducible components of $\mathcal{I}_{d,g,R}$ other than the so-called {\em distinguished component}, dominating the moduli space $\mathcal{M}_g$ of smooth genus--$g$ curves, which are generically smooth and turn out to be of dimension higher than the expected one. The general point of any …
In this paper, we show the full flag Hilbert scheme of points of nodal curves has only complete intersection singularities. We study the Hilbert scheme of points of the cusp curve and show the punctual Hilbert scheme is isomorphic to \mathbb{P}^1. Furthermore Hilbert scheme has only one singularty along the punctual one.
The aim of this paper is to determine a bound of the dimension of an irreducible component of the Hilbert scheme of the moduli space of torsion-free sheaves on surfaces. Let $X$ be a non-singular irreducible complex surface and let $E$ be a vector bundle of rank $n$ on $X$. We use the $m$-elementary transformation of $E$ at a point $x \in X$ to show that there exists an embedding from the Grassmannian variety $\mathbb{G}(E_x,m)$ into the moduli space of torsion-free sheaves $\mathfrak{M}_{X,H}(n;c_1,c_2+m)$ which induces an injective morphism from $X \times M_{X,H}(n;c_1,c_2)$ to $Hilb_{\, \ma…
We denote by $\mathcal{H}_{d,g,r}$ the Hilbert scheme of smooth curves, which is the union of components whose general point corresponds to a smooth irreducible and non-degenerate curve of degree $d$ and genus $g$ in $\PP^r$. In this article, we show that for low genus $g$ outside the Brill-Noether range, the Hilbert scheme $\mathcal{H}_{g+1,g,4}$ is non-empty whenever $g\ge 9$ and irreducible whose only component generically consists of linearly normal curves unless $g=9$ or $g=12$. This complements the validity of the original assertion of Severi regarding the irreducibility of $\mathcal{H}_…
We determine the number of irreducible components of the reduction mod p of any Hilbert-Blumenthal moduli space with a parahoric level structure, where p is unramified in the totally real field.
We address the problem of classification of hyper-Kähler fourfolds with $b_2=23$. In particular we prove some special cases of the Conjecture of O'Grady about hyper-Kähler $4$-folds numerically equivalent to the Hilbert scheme of two points on a $K3$ surface.
We investigate the geography of Hilbert schemes parametrizing closed subschemes of projective space with specified Hilbert polynomials. We classify Hilbert schemes with unique Borel-fixed points via combinatorial expressions for their Hilbert polynomials. These expressions naturally lead to an arrangement of nonempty Hilbert schemes as the vertices of an infinite full binary tree. Here we discover regularities in the geometry of Hilbert schemes. Specifically, under natural probability distributions on the tree, we prove that Hilbert schemes are irreducible and nonsingular with probability grea…
We characterise when the log arc scheme of a fine log scheme $(X, M)$, with $X$ a variety over a field of characteristic zero, is irreducible. This generalises the theorem of Kolchin that the (ordinary) arc scheme of $X$ is irreducible exactly when $X$ is irreducible.
We give a notion of "combinatorial proximity" among strongly stable ideals in a given polynomial ring with a fixed Hilbert polynomial. We show that this notion guarantees "geometric proximity" of the corresponding points in the Hilbert scheme. We define a graph whose vertices correspond to strongly stable ideals and whose edges correspond to pairs of adjacent ideals. Every term order induces an orientation of the edges of the graph. This directed graph describes the behavior of the points of the Hilbert scheme under Gröbner degenerations with respect to the given term order. Then, we introduce…
We study completely the Hilbert scheme and punctual Hilbert scheme of a nodal curve, and the relative Hilbert scheme of a family of curves acquiring a node. The results are then extended, less completely, to flag Hilbert schemes, parametrizing chains of subschemes. We find, notably, that if the total space $X$ of a family $X/B$ is smooth (over an algebraically closed field $\k$), then the relative Hilbert scheme $Hilb_m(X/B)$ is smooth over $\k$ and the flag Hilbert schemes are normal and locally complete intersection, but generally singular.
We call the scheme parameterizing homogeneous ideals with fixed initial ideal the Gröbner scheme. We introduce a Białynicki-Birula decomposition of the Hilbert scheme $\mathrm{Hilb}^{P}_n$ for any Hilbert polynomial $P$ such that the cells are the Gröbner schemes in set-theoretically. Then we obtain a computable homology formula for smooth Hilbert schemes. As a corollary of our argument, we show that the Gröbner scheme for a monomial ideal defining a smooth point in the Hilbert scheme is smooth.
We give a linear algebraic and a monadic descriptions of the Hilbert scheme of points on the affine space of dimension $n$ which naturally extends Nakajima's representation of the Hilbert scheme of points on the plane. As an application of our ideas and recent results from the literature on commuting matrices, we show that the Hilbert scheme of $c$ points on $(\C^3)$ is irreducible for $c\le 10$.
The toric Hilbert scheme parametrizes all algebras isomorphic to a given semigroup algebra as a multigraded vectorspace. All components of the scheme are toric varieties, and among them, there is a fairly well understood coherent component. However, it is unknown whether toric Hilbert schemes are always connected. In this chapter we illustrate the use of Macaulay 2 for exploring the structure of toric Hilbert schemes. In the process we will encounter algorithms from commutative algebra, algebraic geometry, polyhedral theory and geometric combinatorics.
An open question is whether the Hilbert scheme of points of a high dimensional affine space satisfies Murphy's Law, as formulated by Vakil. In this short note, we instead consider the loci in the Hilbert scheme parametrizing punctual schemes with a given Hilbert function, and we show that these loci satisfy Murphy's Law. We also prove a related result for equivariant deformations of curve singularities with $\mathbb G_m$-action.
We introduce the multigraded Hilbert scheme, which parametrizes all homogeneous ideals with fixed Hilbert function in a polynomial ring that is graded by any abelian group. Our construction is widely applicable, it provides explicit equations, and it allows us to prove a range of new results, including Bayer's conjecture on equations defining Grothendieck's classical Hilbert scheme and the construction of a Chow morphism for toric Hilbert schemes.
We discuss the parabolic Hilbert scheme of points on smooth surface, which is an interesting generalization of Hilbert scheme of points on surface. Some of the studies by Ellingsrud-Stromme, Goettsche, Cheah, Nakajima and Grojnowski can be generalized in our parabolic case.
Pfister and Steenbrink studied punctual Hilbert schemes for irreducible curve singularities. In particular, they investigated the structure of special punctual Hilbert schemes for certain monomial curve singularities. In this paper, we study the punctual Hilbert schemes of all degrees for the curve singularities of types $E_6$ and $E_8$. For our analysis, we introduce computational algorithms to decompose a punctual Hilbert schemes into affine cells. We also use the theory of Gröbner basis and known results about the compactified Jacobian of singular curves to prove our main theorems.
The Hilbert scheme of projective 3-folds of codimension 3 or more that are linear scrolls over the projective plane or over a smooth quadric surface or that are quadric or cubic fibrations over the projective line is studied. All known such threefolds of degree from 7 to 11 are shown to correspond to smooth points of an irreducible component of their Hilbert scheme, whose dimension is computed. A relationship with the locus of good determinantal subschemes is investigated
We classify minimal-degree curves in the Hilbert schemes of points on algebraic surfaces. When the algebraic surface is the projective plane, the nef cone and a flip structure of these Hilbert schemes are determined.