We solve the following geometric problem, which arises in several three-dimensional applications in computational geometry: For which arrangements of two lines and two spheres in R^3 are there infinitely many lines simultaneously transversal to the two lines and tangent to the two spheres?
We also treat a generalization of this problem to projective quadrics: Replacing the spheres in R^3 by quadrics in projective space P^3, and fixing the lines and one general quadric, we give the following complete geometric description of the set of (second) quadrics for which the 2 lines and 2 quadrics have infinitely many transversals and tangents: In the nine-dimensional projective space P^9 of quadrics, this is a curve of degree 24 consisting of 12 plane conics, a remarkably reducible variety.
We examine quadratic surfaces in 3-space that are tangent to nine given figures. These figures can be points, lines, planes or quadrics. The numbers of tangent quadrics were determined by Hermann Schubert in 1879. We study the associated systems of polynomial equations, also in the space of complete quadrics, and we solve them using certified numerical methods. Our aim is to show that Schubert's problems are fully real.
Throughout the paper, among other esults, we give partial analogues of theorem 1.1 for projectivized tangent cone quadrics of rank equal or less than 4, for Prymians.
We study the variety of common tangents for up to four quadric surfaces in projective three-space, with particular regard to configurations of four quadrics admitting a continuum of common tangents. We formulate geometrical conditions in the projective space defined by all complex quadric surfaces which express the fact that several quadrics are tangent along a curve to one and the same quadric of rank at least three, and called, for intuitive reasons: a basket. Lines in any ruling of the latter will be common tangents. These considerations are then restricted to spheres in Euclidean three-spa…
In this work we obtain presentations of fundamental groups of the complements of three families of quadric arrangements in $\mathbb{P}^2$. The first arrangement is a union of $n$ quadrics, which are tangent to each other at two common points. The second arrangement is composed of $n$ quadrics which are tangent to each other at one common point. The third arrangement is composed of $n$ quadrics, $n-1$ of them are tangent to the $n$'th one and each one of the $n-1$ quadrics is transversal to the other $n-2$ ones.
Let d_{k,n} and #_{k,n} denote the dimension and the degree of the Grassmannian G_{k,n} of k-planes in projective n-space, respectively. For each k between 1 and n-2 there are 2^{d_{k,n}} \cdot #_{k,n} (a priori complex) k-planes in P^n tangent to d_{k,n} general quadratic hypersurfaces in P^n. We show that this class of enumerative problem is fully real, i.e., for each k between 1 and n-2 there exists a configuration of d_{k,n} real quadrics in (affine) real space R^n so that all the mutually tangent k-flats are real.
In this paper we obtain presentations of fundamental groups of the complements of three quadric-line arrangements in P^2. The first arrangement is a smooth quadric Q with n tangent lines to Q, and the second one is a quadric Q with n lines passing through a point p not in Q. The last arrangement consists of a quadric Q with n lines passing through a point p in Q.
We consider characterizations of projective varieties in terms of their tangents. S. Mori established the characterization of projective spaces in arbitrary characteristic by ampleness of tangent bundles. J. Wahl characterized projective spaces in characteristic zero by cohomological condition of tangent bundles; in addition, he remarked that a counter-example in characteristic two is constructed from odd-dimensional hyperquadrics $Q_{2n-1}$ with $n > 1$. This is caused by existence of a common point in $\mathbb{P}^{2n}$ which every embedded tangent space to the quadric contains. In general, a…
In this paper, we show that if the tangent bundle of a smooth projective variety is strictly nef, then it is isomorphic to a projective space; if a projective variety $X^n$ $(n>4)$ has strictly nef $Λ^2 TX$, then it is isomorphic to $\mathbb{P}^n$ or quadric $\mathbb{Q}^n$. We also prove that on elliptic curves, strictly nef vector bundles are ample, whereas there exist Hermitian flat and strictly nef vector bundles on any smooth curve with genus $g\geq 2$.
The oloid is the convex hull of two circles with equal radius in perpendicular planes so that the center of each circle lies on the other circle. It is part of a developable surface which we call extended oloid. We determine the tangential system of all inscribed quadrics $\mathcal{Q}_λ$ of the extended oloid $\mathcal{O}$ where $λ$ is the system parameter. From this result we conclude parameter equations of the touching curve $\mathcal{C}_λ$ between $\mathcal{O}$ and $\mathcal{Q}_λ$, the edge of regression $\mathcal{R}$ of $\mathcal{O}$, and the asymptotes of $\mathcal{R}$. Properties of the …
This is an expanded and updated version of a lecture series I gave at Seoul National University in September 1997. It is in some sense an update of the 1979 Griffiths and Harris paper with a similar title. I discuss: Homogeneous varieties, Topology and consequences Projective differential invariants, Varieties with degenerate Gauss images, When can a uniruled variety be smooth?, Dual varieties, Linear systems of bounded and constant rank, Secant and tangential varieties, Systems of quadrics with tangential defects, Recognizing uniruled varieties, Recognizing intersections of quadrics, Recogniz…
In this paper, we study smooth complex projective varieties $X$ such that some exterior power $\bigwedge^r T_X$ of the tangent bundle is strictly nef. We prove that such varieties are rationally connected. We also classify the following two cases. If $T_X$ is strictly nef, then $X$ isomorphic to the projective space $\mathrm{P}^n$. If $\bigwedge^2 T_X$ is strictly nef and if $X$ has dimension at least $3$, then $X$ is either isomorphic to $\mathrm{P}^n$ or a quadric $\mathrm{Q}^n$.
Let $X$ be a smooth complex projective variety. A recent conjecture of S. Kovács states that if t\ he $p^{\text{th}}$-exterior power of the tangent bundle $T_X$ contains the $p^{\text{th}}$-exterior power of an ample vector bundle, then $X$ is either a projective space or a smooth quadric hypersurface. This conjecture is appealing since it is a common generalization of Mori's, Wahl's, Andreatt\ a-Wísniewski's, and Araujo-Druel-Kovács's characterizations of these spaces. In this paper I give a proof affirming this conjecture for varieties with Picard number 1.
The thirty years old programme of Griffiths and Harris of understanding higher-dimensional analogues of Poncelet-type problems and synthetic approach to higher genera addition theorems has been settled and completed in this paper. Starting with the observation of the billiard nature of some classical constructions and configurations, we construct the billiard algebra, that is a group structure on the set T of lines in $R^d$ simultaneously tangent to d-1 quadrics from a given confocal family. Using this tool, the related results of Reid, Donagi and Knoerrer are further developed, realized and s…
In this paper we prove the following result : if the p-th tensor power of the tangent bundle of a smooth projective variety contains the p-th power of an ample line bundle, then the variety is isomorphic either to the projective space or to a smooth quadric hypersurface.
In this paper we prove that if the r-th tensor power of the tangent bundle of a smooth projective variety X contains the determinant of an ample vector bundle of rank at least r, then X is isomorphic either to a projective space or to a smooth quadric hypersurface.
Let $ \mathcal{D} = \{D_{1}, \ldots, D_{\ell}\} $ be an arrangement of smooth hypersurfaces with normal crossings on the complex projective space $ \mathbb{P}^{n} $ and let $ Ω^{1}_{\mathbb{P}^{n}}(log \mathcal{D}) $ be the logarithmic bundle attached to it. Our aim is to study the injectivity of the correspondence $ \mathcal{D} \longrightarrow Ω^{1}_{\mathbb{P}^{n}}(log \mathcal{D}) $. In order to do that, we first show that $ Ω^{1}_{\mathbb{P}^{n}}(log \mathcal{D}) $ admits a resolution of length $ 1 $ depending on the degrees and on the equations of $ D_{1}, \ldots, D_{\ell} $. Then, we pro…
The object of this paper is to describe an explicit two--parameter family of logarithmic flat connections over the complex projective plane. These connections have dihedral monodromy and their polar locus is a prescribed quintic composed of a circle and three tangent lines. By restricting them to generic lines we get an algebraic family of isomonodromic deformations of the five--punctured sphere. This yields new algebraic solutions of a Garnier system. Finally, we use the associated Riccati one--forms to construct an interesting non--generic family of transversally projective Lotka--Volterra f…
