We study the moduli space of pairs $(X,H)$ consisting of a cubic threefold $X$ and a hyperplane $H$ in $\mathbb P^4$. The interest in this moduli comes from two sources: the study of certain weighted hypersurfaces whose middle cohomology admit Hodge structures of $K3$ type and, on the other hand, the study of the singularity $O_{16}$ (the cone over a cubic surface). In this paper, we give a Hodge theoretic construction of the moduli space of cubic pairs by relating $(X,H)$ to certain "lattice polarized" cubic fourfolds $Y$. A period map for the pairs $(X,H)$ is then defined using the periods of the cubic fourfolds $Y$. The main result is that the period map induces an isomorphism between a GIT model for the pairs $(X,H)$ and the Baily-Borel compactification of some locally symmetric domain of type IV.
We give the lower bound on Seshadri constants for the case of very ample line bundles on threefolds. We consider the situation when the Seshadri constant is strictly less than 2 and give a version of Bauer's theorem \cite[Theorem 2.1]{B1} for singular surfaces so we can prove the same result for smooth threefolds.
It is known that the smooth rational threefolds of P^5 having a rational non-special surface of P^4 as general hyperplane section have degree d=3,... ,7. We study such threefolds X from the point of view of linear systems of surfaces in P^3, looking in each case fosr an explicit description of a birational map from P^3 to X. For d=3,..., 6 we prove that there exists a line L on X such that the projection map of X centered at L is birational; we completely describe the base loci B of the linear systems found in this way and give a description of any such threefold X as a suitable blowing-down o…
In this paper, we study the singularities of a general hyperplane section $H$ of a three-dimensional quasi-projective variety $X$ over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p>0$. We prove that if $X$ has only canonical singularities, then $H$ has only rational double points. We also prove, under the assumption that $p>5$, that if $X$ has only klt singularities, then so does $H$.
We study noncompact Calabi-Yau threefolds, their moduli spaces of vector bundles and deformation theory. We present Calabi-Yau threefolds that have infinitely many distinct deformations, constructing them explicitily, and describe the effect that such deformations produce on moduli spaces of vector bundles.
Using the geometry of an almost del Pezzo threefold, we show that the moduli space of genus $g$ one-pointed ineffective spin hyperelliptic curves is rational for every $g\geq 2$.
We study the Hilbert scheme $\mathcal{H}$ of twisted cubics on a special smooth Gushel-Mukai threefolds $X_{10}$. We show that it is a smooth irreducible projective threefold if $X_{10}$ is general among special Gushel-Mukai threefolds, while it is singular if $X_{10}$ is not general. We construct an irreducible component of a moduli space of Bridgeland stable objects in the Kuznetsov component of $X_{10}$ as a divisorial contraction of $\mathcal{H}$. We also identify the minimal model of Fano surface $\mathcal{C}(X_{10}')$ of conics on a smooth ordinary Gushel-Mukai threefold with moduli spac…
We study certain moduli spaces of stable vector bundles of rank two on cubic and quartic threefolds. In many cases under consideration, it turns out that the moduli space is complete and irreducible and a general member has vanishing intermediate cohomology. In one case, all except one component of the moduli space has such vector bundles.
We establish a global Torelli theorem for the complete family of Calabi-Yau threefolds arising from cyclic triple covers of $\mathbb P^3$ branched along stable hyperplane arrangements.
We prove several classification results for the components of the moduli space of rational curves on a smooth Fano threefold. In particular, we prove a conjecture of Batyrev on the growth of the number of components as the degree increases. The key to our approach is Geometric Manin's Conjecture which predicts the number of components parameterizing free curves.
A well known result of Clemens and Griffiths says that a smooth cubic threefold can be recovered from its intermediate Jacobian. In this paper we discuss the possible degenerations of these abelian varieties, and thus give a description of the compactification of the moduli space of cubic threefolds obtained in this way. The relation between this compactification and those constructed in the work of Allcock-Carlson-Toledo and Looijenga-Swierstra is also considered, and is similar in spirit to the relation between the various compactifications of the moduli spaces of low genus curves.
Consider the moduli space M^0 of arrangements of n hyperplanes in general position in projective (r-1)-space. When r=2 the space has a compactification given by the moduli space of stable curves of genus 0 with n marked points. In higher dimensions, the analogue of the moduli space of stable curves is the moduli space of stable pairs: pairs (S,B) consisting of a variety S (possibly reducible) and a divisor B=B_1+..+B_n, satisfying various additional assumptions. We identify the closure of M^0 in the moduli space of stable pairs as Kapranov's Chow quotient compactification of M^0, and give an e…
The Abel-Jacobi map of the family of elliptic quintics lying on a general cubic threefold is studied. It is proved that it factors through a moduli component of stable rank 2 vector bundles on the cubic threefold with Chern numbers c_1=0, c_2=2, whose general point represents a vector bundle obtained by Serre's construction from an elliptic quintic. The elliptic quintics mapped to a point of the moduli space vary in a 5-dimensional projective space inside the Hilbert scheme of curves, and the map from the moduli space to the intermediate Jacobian is étale. As auxiliary results, the irreducibil…
We study semistable sheaves of rank $2$ with Chern classes $c_1=0$, $c_2=2$ and $c_3=0$ on the Fano 3-fold $V_5$ of Picard number $1$, degree $5$ and index $2$. We show that the moduli space of such sheaves has a component that is isomorphic to $\mathbb{P}^5$ by identifying it with the moduli space of semistable quiver representations. This provides a natural smooth compactification of the moduli space of minimal instantons, as well as Ulrich bundles of rank $2$ on $V_5$.
Let E be a stable rank 2 vector bundle on a smooth quadric threefold Q in the projective 4-space P. We show that the hyperplanes H in P for which the restriction of E to the hyperplane section of Q by H is not stable form, in general, a closed subset of codimension at least 2 of the dual projective 4-space, and we explicitly describe the bundles E which do not enjoy this property. This refines a restriction theorem of Ein and Sols [Nagoya Math. J. 96, 11-22 (1984)] in the same way the main result of Coanda [J. reine angew. Math. 428, 97-110 (1992)] refines the restriction theorem of Barth [Mat…
We study semi-stable sheaves of rank $2$ with Chern class $c_1=0$, $c_2=2$ and $c_3=0$ on the Fano 3-folds $V_4$ of Picard number $1$, degree $4$ and index $2$. We show the moduli space of such sheaves is isomorphic to the moduli space of semi-stable rank $2$ even degree vector bundles on a genus $2$ curve. This provides a natural smooth compatification of the moduli space of Ulrich bundles of rank $2$ on $V_4$.
The intermediate Jacobian map, which associates to a smooth cubic threefold its intermediate Jacobian, does not extend to the GIT compactification of the space of cubic threefolds, not even as a map to the Satake compactification of the moduli space of principally polarized abelian fivefolds. A much better "wonderful" compactification of the space of cubic threefolds was constructed by the first and fourth authors --- it has a modular interpretation, and divisorial normal crossing boundary. We prove that the intermediate Jacobian map extends to a morphism from the wonderful compactification to…
We modify the standard perfect symmetric obstruction theory for moduli spaces of simple perfect complexes, to the situation of complexes on abelian threefolds with fixed determinant and Fourier-Mukai determinant. As outcome we attach nontrivial Donaldson-Thomas invariants to moduli spaces for complexes modulo twist and translation.
We prove that the moduli spaces A_3(D) of polarized abelian threefolds with polarizations of types D=(1,1,2), (1,2,2), (1,1,3) or (1,3,3) are unirational. The result is based on the study of families of simple coverings of elliptic curves of degree 2 or 3 and on the study of the corresponding period mappings associated with holomorphic differentials with trace 0. In particular we prove the unirationality of the Hurwitz space H_{3,A}(Y) which parameterizes simply branched triple coverings of an elliptic curve Y with determinants of the Tschirnhausen modules isomorphic to A^{-1}.
In this article we exhibit certain projective degenerations of smooth $K3$ surfaces of degree $2g-2$ in $\Bbb P^g$ (whose Picard group is generated by the hyperplane class), to a union of two rational normal scrolls, and also to a union of planes. As a consequence we prove that the general hyperplane section of such $K3$ surfaces has a corank one Gaussian map, if $g=11$ or $g\geq 13$. We also prove that the general such hyperplane section lies on a unique $K3$ surface, up to projectivities. Finally we present a new approach to the classification of prime Fano threefolds of index one, which doe…
We prove that the moduli space A_3(1,1,4) of polarized abelian threefolds with polarization of type (1,1,4) is unirational. By a result of Birkenhake and Lange this implies the unirationality of the isomorphic moduli space A_3(1,4,4). The result is based on the study the Hurwitz space H_{4,n}(Y) of quadruple coverings of an elliptic curve Y simply branched in n points. We prove the unirationality of its codimension one subvariety H^{0}_{4,A}(Y) which parametrizes quadruple coverings π:X --> Y with Tschirnhausen modules isomorphic to A^{-1}, where A\in Pic^{n/2}Y, and for which π^*:J(Y)--> J(X)…
It is a fundamental problem in geometry to decide which moduli spaces of polarized algebraic varieties are embedded by their period maps as Zariski open subsets of locally Hermitian symmetric domains. In the present work we prove that the moduli space of Calabi-Yau threefolds coming from eight planes in $\mathbb{P}^3$ does {\em not} have this property. We show furthermore that the monodromy group of a good family is Zariski dense in the corresponding symplectic group. Moreover, we study a natural sublocus which we call hyperelliptic locus, over which the variation of Hodge structures is natura…
We study the moduli spaces of rational curves on prime Fano threefolds of index 1. For general threefolds of most genera we compute the dimension and the number of irreducible components of these moduli spaces. Our results confirm Geometric Manin's Conjecture in these examples and show the enumerativity of certain Gromov-Witten invariants.
It is well known that every smooth cubic threefold is the zero locus of the Pfaffian of a 6 x 6 skew-symmetric matrix of linear forms in P^4. To compactify the space of such Pfaffian representations of a given cubic and to study the construction in families as well as for singular or reducible cubics, it is thus natural to consider the incidence correspondence of Pfaffian representations inside the product of the space of semistable skew-symmetric 6 x 6 matrices of linear forms in P^4 and the space of cubics. Here we describe concretely the irreducible component of this incidence correspondenc…
The moduli space of cubic threefolds in CP4, with some minor birational modifications, is the Baily-Borel compactification of the quotient of the complex 10-ball by a discrete group. We describe both the birational modifications and the discrete group explicitly.
The Abel-Jacobi maps of the families of elliptic quintics and rational quartics lying on a smooth cubic threefold are studied. It is proved that their generic fiber is the 5-dimensional projective space for quintics, and a smooth 3-dimensional variety birational to the cubic itself for quartics. The paper is a continuation of the recent work of Markushevich-Tikhomirov, who showed that the first Abel-Jacobi map factors through the moduli component of stable rank 2 vector bundles on the cubic threefold with Chern numbers $c_1=0, c_2=2$ obtained by Serre's construction from elliptic quintics, and…
We describe birational models and decide the rationality/unirationality of moduli spaces AA_{d} (and AA^{lev}_{d}) of (1,d)-polarized abelian surfaces (with canonical level structure, respectively) for small values of d. The projective lines identified in the rational/unirational moduli spaces correspond to pencils of abelian surfaces traced on nodal threefolds living naturally in the corresponding ambient projective spaces, and whose small resolutions are new Calabi-Yau threefolds with Euler characteristic zero.
The minimal model program suggests a compactification of the moduli space of hyperplane arrangements which is a moduli space of stable pairs. Here, a stable pair consists of a scheme X which is a degeneration of projective space and a divisor D=D_1+..+D_n on X which is a limit of hyperplane arrangements. For example, in the 1-dimensional case, the stable pairs are stable curves of genus 0 with n marked points. Kapranov has defined an alternative compactification using his Chow quotient construction, which may be described fairly explicitly. We prove that these two compactifications coincide. W…
Let X be a smooth projective variety over the complex numbers, and let D be an ample divisor in X. For which spaces Y is the restriction map r: Hom(X, Y) -> Hom(D, Y) an isomorphism? Using positive characteristic methods, we give a fairly exhaustive answer to this question. An example application of our techniques is: if dim(X) > 2, Y is smooth, the cotangent bundle of Y is nef, and dim(Y) < dim(D), the restriction map r is an isomorphism. Taking Y to be the classifying space of a finite group BG, the moduli space of pointed curves M_{g,n}, the moduli space of principally polarized Abelian var…
Given a smooth non-hyperelliptic prime Fano threefold X, we prove the existence of all rank 2 ACM vector bundles on X by deformation of semistable sheaves. We show that these bundles move in generically smooth components of the corresponding moduli space. We give applications to pfaffian representations of quartic threefolds in P^4 and cubic hypersurfaces of a smooth quadric of P^5.
We first prove an isomorphism between the moduli space of smooth cubic threefolds and the moduli space of hyperkaehler fourfolds of K3^{[2]}-type with a non-symplectic automorphism of order three, whose invariant lattice has rank one and is generated by a class of square 6, both these spaces are uniformized by the same 10-dimensional arithmetic complex ball quotient. We then study the degeneration of the automorphism along the loci of nodal or chordal degenerations of the cubic threefold, showing the birationality of these loci with some moduli spaces of hyperkaehler fourfolds of K3^{[2]}-type…
In this paper, we give an expression and some estimates of the curvature tensor of the Hodge metric over the moduli space of a polarized Calabi-Yau threefold. The symmetricity of the Yukawa coupling is also studied. In the last section of this paper, an extra restriction of the limiting Hodge structure for the degeneration of Calabi-Yau threefolds is given.
