The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach to study families of nodal curves on projective threefolds. Precisely, given $X$ a smooth projective threefold, $\E$ a rank-two vector bundle on $X$, $L$ a very ample line bundle on $X$ and $k \geq 0$, $δ>0 $ integers and denoted by $V= {\V}_δ ({\E} \otimes L^{\otimes k})$ the subscheme of ${\Pp}(H^0({\E} \otimes L^{\otimes k}))$ parametrizing global sections of ${\E} \otimes L^{\otimes k}$ whose zero-loci are irreducible and $δ$-nodal curves on $X$, we present a new cohomological description of the tangent space $T_{[s]}({\V}_δ ({\E} \otimes L^{\otimes k}))$ at a point $[s]\in {\V}_δ ({\E} \otimes L^{\otimes k})$. This description enable us to determine effective and uniform upper-bounds for $δ$, which are linear polynomials in $k$, such that the family $V$ is smooth and of the expected dimension ({\em regular}, for short). The almost-sharpness of our bounds is shown by some interesting examples. Furthermore, when $X$ is assumed to be a Fano or a Calaby-Yau threefold, we study in detail the regularity property of a point $[s] \in V$ related to the postulation of the nodes of its zero-locus $C_s =C \subset X$. Roughly speaking, when the nodes of $C$ are assumed to be in general position either on $X$ or on an irreducible divisor of $X$ having at worst log-terminal singularities or to lie on a l.c.i. and subcanonical curve in $X$, we find upper-bounds on $δ$ which are, respectively, cubic, quadratic and linear polynomials in $k$ ensuring the regularity of $V$ at $[s]$. Finally, when $X= \Pt$, we also discuss some interesting geometric properties of the curves given by sections parametrized by $V$.
Let X be a smooth projective surface. Here we study the postulation of a general union Z of fat points of X, when most of the connected components of Z have multiplicity 2. This problem is related to the existence of "good" families of curves on X, with prescribed singularities, most of them being nodes, and to the cohomology of suitable line bundles on blowing ups of X. More precise statements are obtained in the case X=P^2.
We discuss the work of Corrado Segre on nodal cubic hypersurfaces with emphasis on the cases of 6-nodal and 10-nodal cubics. In particular, we discuss the Fano surface of lines and conic bundle structures on such threefolds. We review some of the current research in algebraic geometry related to Segre's work.
We study the Picard variety of the Fano surface of nodal and mildly cuspidal cubic threefolds in arbitrary characteristic by relating divisors on the Fano surface to divisors on the symmetric product of a curve of genus 4.
We study the geometry and the period map of nodal complex prime Fano threefolds with index 1 and degree 10. We show that these threefolds are birationally isomorphic to Verra solids (hypersurfaces of bidegree $(2,2)$ in $ ¶^2\times ¶^2$). Using Verra's results on the period map for these solids and on the Prym map for double étale covers of plane sextic curves, we prove that the fiber of the period map for our nodal threefolds is birationally the union of two surfaces, for which we give several descriptions. This result is the analog in the nodal case of a result obtained in arXiv:0812.3670 fo…
We prove the $\mathbb{Q}$-factoriality of a nodal hypersurface in $\mathbb{P}^{4}$ of degree $n$ with at most ${\frac{(n-1)^{2}}{4}}$ nodes and the $\mathbb{Q}$-factoriality of a double cover of $\mathbb{P}^{3}$ branched over a nodal surface of degree $2r$ with at most ${\frac{(2r-1)r}{3}}$ nodes.
We prove that the quartic threefolds defined by $$ \sum_{i=0}^{5}x_i=\sum_{i=0}^{5}x_i^4-t\left(\sum_{i=0}^{5}x_i^2\right)^2=0 $$ in $\mathbb{P}^5$ are rational for $t=\frac{1}{6}$ and $t=\frac{7}{10}$.
In this paper we show that a nodal complete intersection threefold $X$ in $\mathbb{P}^{3+c}$ with defect, but without induced defect, has at least $\sum_{i\leq j} (d_i-1)(d_j-1)$ nodes, provided either $c=2$ or $d_c>\sum_{i=1}^{c-1} d_i$ holds.
The $\mathbb{Q}$-factoriality of a nodal quartic 3-fold implies its non-rationality. We prove that a nodal quartic 3-fold with at most 8 nodes is $\mathbb{Q}$-factorial, and we show that a nodal quartic 3-fold with 9 nodes is not $\mathbb{Q}$-factorial if and only if it contains a plane. However, there are non-rational non-$\mathbb{Q}$-factorial nodal quartic 3-folds in $\mathbb{P}^4$. In particular, we prove the non-rationality of a general non-$\mathbb{Q}$-factorial nodal quartic 3-fold that contains either a plane or a smooth del Pezzo surface of degree 4.
It is well-known that a nonsingular minimal cubic surface is birationally rigid; the group of its birational selfmaps is generated by biregular selfmaps and birational involutions such that all relations between the latter are implied by standard relations between reflections on an elliptic curve. It is also known that a factorial nodal quartic threefold is birationally rigid and its group of birational selfmaps is generated by biregular ones and certain birational involutions. We prove that all relations between these involutions are implied by standard relations on elliptic curves, complete …
We give a bound on the minimal number of singularities of a nodal projective complete intersection threefold which contains a smooth complete intersection surface that is not a Cartier divisor.
In this paper we classify nodal rational non-$\mathbb{Q}$-factorial del Pezzo threefolds of degree 2 which can be $G$-birationally rigid for some subgroup $G\subset \operatorname{Aut}(X)$.
We prove that a nodal quartic threefold $X$ containing no planes is $Q$-factorial provided that it has not more than 12 singular points, with the exception of a quartic with exactly 12 singularities containing a quadric surface. We give some geometrical constructions related to the latter quartic.
We give a criterion for a continuous family of curves on a nodal $K$-trivial threefold $X_0$ to contribute geometrically rigid curves to a general smoothing of $X_0$. As an application, we prove the existence of geometrically rigid curves of arbitrary degree and explicitly bounded genus on general complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds.
Let X be a complete intersection of two hypersurfaces F_n and F_k in the projective space P^5 of degree n and k respectively with n >= k, such that the singularities of X are nodal and F_k is smooth. We prove that if the threefold X has at most (n+k-2)(n-1)-1 singular points, then it is factorial.
Building on results of Clemens and Kley, we find criteria for a continuous family of curves in a nodal $K$-trivial threefold $Y_0$ to deform to a scheme of finitely many smooth isolated curves in a general deformation $Y_t$ of $Y_0$. As an application, we show the existence of smooth isolated curves of bounded genera and unbounded degrees in Calabi-Yau complete intersections threefolds.
We investigate necessary conditions for Gorenstein projective varieties to admit semiorthogonal decompositions introduced by Kawamata, with main emphasis on threefolds with isolated compound $A_n$ singularities. We introduce obstructions coming from Algebraic $\mathrm{K}$-theory and translate them into the concept of maximal nonfactoriality. Using these obstructions we show that many classes of nodal threefolds do not admit Kawamata type semiorthogonal decompositions. These include nodal hypersurfaces and double solids, with the exception of a nodal quadric, and del Pezzo threefolds of degrees…
Let X be a (possibly nodal) K-trivial threefold moving in a fixed ambient space P. Suppose X contains a continuous family of curves, all of whose members satisfy certain unobstructedness conditions in P. A formula is given for computing the corresponding virtual number of curves, that is, the number of curves on a generic deformation of X "contributed by" the continuous family on X.
Recently Knutsen found criteria for the curves in a complete linear system $|\mathcal{L}|$ on a smooth surface $X$ in a nodal K-trivial threefold $Y_0$ to deform to a scheme of finitely many smooth isolated curves in a general deformation $Y_t$ of $Y_0$. In this article we develop new methods to check whether the set of nodes of $Y_0$ imposes independent conditions on $|\mathcal{L}|$. As an application, we find new smooth isolated curves in complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds.
We study nodal complete intersection threefolds of type $(2,4)$ in $\PP^5$ which contain an Enriques surface in its Fano embedding. We completely determine Calabi-Yau birational models of a generic such threefold. These models have Hodge numbers $(h^{11},h^{12})=(2,32)$. We also describe Calabi-Yau varieties with Hodge numbers equal to $(2,26)$, $(23,5)$ and $(31,1)$. The last two pairs of Hodge numbers are, to the best of our knowledge, new.
The main purpose of this paper is twofold. We first want to analyze in details the meaningful geometric aspect of the method introduced in the previous paper [12], concerning regularity of families of irreducible, nodal "curves" on a smooth, projective threefold $X$. This analysis highlights several fascinating connections with families of other singular geometric "objects" related to $X$ and to other varieties. Then, we generalize this method to study similar problems for families of singular divisors on ruled fourfolds suitably related to $X$.
We continue the development of methods for enumerating nodal curves on smooth complex surfaces, stressing the range of validity. We illustrate the new methods in three important examples. First, for up to eight nodes, we confirm Göttsche's conjecture about plane curves of low degree. Second, we justify Vainsencher's enumeration of irreducible six-nodal plane curves on a general quintic threefold in four-space. Third, we supplement Bryan and Leung's enumeration of nodal curves in a given homology class on an Abelian surface of Picard number one.
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.
We prove the following form of the Clemens conjecture in low degree. Let $d\le9$, and let $F$ be a general quintic threefold in $\IP^4$. Then (1)~the Hilbert scheme of rational, smooth and irreducible curves of degree $d$ on $F$ is finite, nonempty, and reduced; moreover, each curve is embedded in $F$ with normal bundle $Ø(-1)\oplusØ(-1)$, and in $\IP^4$ with maximal rank. (2)~On $F$, there are no rational, singular, reduced and irreducible curves of degree $d$, except for the 17,601,000 six-nodal plane quintics (found by Vainsencher). (3)~On $F$, there are no connected, reduced and reducible …
We study Pandharipande-Thomas's stable pair theory on $K3$ fibrations over curves with possibly nodal fibers. We describe stable pair invariants of the fiberwise irreducible curve classes in terms of Kawai-Yoshioka's formula for the Euler characteristics of moduli spaces of stable pairs on $K3$ surfaces and Noether-Lefschetz numbers of the fibration. Moreover, we investigate the relation of these invariants with the perverse (non-commutative) stable pair invariants of the $K3$ fibration. In the case that the $K3$ fibration is a projective Calabi-Yau threefold, by means of wall-crossing techniq…
We prove a new patchworking theorem for singular algebraic curves, which states the following. Given a complex toric threefold $Y$ which fibers over ${\mathbb C}$ with a reduced reducible zero fiber $Y_0$ and other fibers $Y_t$ smooth, and given a reduced curve $C_0\subset Y_0$, the theorem provides a sufficient condition for the existence of a one-parametric family of curves $C_t\subset Y_t$, which induces an equisingular deformation for some singular points of $C_0$ and certain prescribed deformations for the other singularities. As application we give a comment on a recent theorem by G. Mik…
Under natural hypotheses we give an upper bound on the dimension of families of singular curves with hyperelliptic normalizations on a surface S with p_g(S) >0 via the study of the associated families of rational curves in Hilb^2(S). We use this result to prove the existence of nodal curves of geometric genus 3 with hyperelliptic normalizations, on a general K3 surface, thus obtaining specific 2-dimensional families of rational curves in its Hilbert square. We describe two infinite series of examples of general, primitively polarized K3's such that their Hilbert squares contain a IP^2 or a thr…
