We characterize contractible curves on proper normal algebraic surfaces in terms of complementary Weil divisors. Using this we generalize the classical criteria of Castelnuovo and Artin. As application we derive a finiteness result on homogeneous spectra defined by Weil divisors on surfaces.
Let X be a smooth, complete, toric variety. We study those curves C in X that are contractible, in the sense that there exists an equivariant morphism with connected fibers, with source X, that contracts exactly the irreducible curves that are numerically equivalent to a multiple of C. When X is projective, we compare contractible and extremal curves, and we show that every curve in X is numerically equivalent to a linear combination with positive integral coefficients of contractible curves.
In this paper we prove that if S is a smooth, irreducible, projective, rational, complex surface and D an effective, connected, reduced divisor on S, then the pair (S,D) is contractible if the log-Kodaira dimension of the pair is $-\infty$. More generally, we even prove that this contraction is possible without blowing up an assigned cluster of points on S. Using the theory of peeling, we are also able to give some information in the case D is not connected.
A version of the Donaldson-Thomas invariants of a Calabi-Yau threefold is proposed as a conjectural mathematical definition of the Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. These invariants have a local version, which is verified to satisfy the required properties for contractible curves. This provides a new viewpoint on the computation of the local Gromov-Witten invariants of contractible curves by Bryan, Leung, and the author.
We consider the cones of curves and divisors on the moduli space of stable pointed rational curves,M_n, and on the quotient by the symmetric group, Q_n, which is a moduli space of pairs. We find generators for contractible extremal rays of the cone of curves NE_1(M_n), and for the cone of divisors NE^1(Q_n). This second cone turns out to be simplicial. We give complete descriptions of NE_1(M_n) and NE_1(Q_n) for small n (< 8 in the first case, < 11 in the second). We also have results of independent interest on when curves in a divisor generate the cone of curves of the ambient variety.
We construct a smoothing of a particular normal crossing surface, which dual complex is a duncehat, thus obtaining an example of a surface degeneration with non-collapsible, contractible dual complex. The general fiber of this family has $h^{1,0} = h^{2,0} = 0$ and $h^{1,1}=9$, we conjecture that it is in the deformation class of the Barlow surface. This text is a complete rewrite of author's previous work [14].
We discuss the concept of Cremona contractible plane curves, with an historical account on the development of this subject. We then classify Cremona contractible unions of d > 11 lines in the plane.
A Q-homology plane is a normal complex algebraic surface having trivial rational homology. We obtain a structure theorem for Q-homology planes with smooth locus of non-general type. We show that if a Q-homology plane contains a non-quotient singularity then it is a quotient of an affine cone over a projective curve by an action of a finite group respecting the set of lines through the vertex. In particular, it is contractible, has negative Kodaira dimension and only one singular point. We describe minimal normal completions of such planes.
We give a canonical synthetic construction of the mirror family to a pair (Y,D) of a smooth projective surface with an anti-canonical cycle of rational curves, as the spectrum of an explicit algebra defined in terms of counts of rational curves on Y meeting D in a single point. In the case D is contractible, the family gives a smoothing of the dual cusp, and thus a proof of Looijenga's 1981 cusp conjecture.
We study the normal map for plane projective curves, i.e., the map associating to every regular point of the curve the normal line at the point in the dual space. We first observe that the normal map is always birational and then we use this fact to show that for smooth curves of degree higher than four the normal map uniquely determines the curve. Our proof works in characteristic zero and in positive characteristic higher than the degree of the curve. We notice also that in high characteristic strange curves provide examples of different plane curves with same curve of normal lines. We will …
As in our previous work [1] we address the problem to determine the splitting of the normal bundle of rational curves. With apolarity theory we are able to characterize some particular subvarieties in some Hilbert scheme of rational curves, defined by the splitting type of the normal bundle and the restricted tangent bundle.
The stable rationality of components of the moduli space of (unparametrized) rational curves in projective $n$-space with fixed normal bundle is proved, provided these components dominate the moduli space of immersed rational curves in the plane.
We determine the splitting (isomorphism) type of the normal bundle of a generic genus-0 curve with 1 or 2 components in any projective space, as well as the (sometimes nontrivial) way the bundle deforms locally with a general deformation of the curve. We deduce an enumerative formula for divisorial loci of smooth rational curves whose normal bundle is of non-generic splitting type.
We show that the linear syzygy spaces of elliptic normal curves, their secant varieties and of bielliptic canonical curves are spanned by geometric syzygies.
An algorithm is given to compute a normal form for hyperelliptic curves. The elliptic case has been treated in a previous paper. In this paper the hyperelliptic case is treated.
The notion of geometric k-normality for curves is introduced in complete generality and is investigated in the case of nodal and cuspidal curves living on several types of surfaces. We discuss and suggest some applications of this notion to the study of Severi varieties of nodal curves on surfaces of general type and on the plane.
In this paper we consider a generalization of a well known result by Veronese about rational normal curves. More precisely, given a collection of linear spaces in $\PP^n$ we study the existence of rational normal curves intersecting each component of the configuration maximally. We introduce different methods to show existence and non-existence of such curves. We also show how to apply these techniques to the study of defectivity of Segre-Veronese varieties.
We give an algorithm for calculating the splitting type of the normal bundle of any rational monomial curve. The algorithm is obtained by reducing the calculus to a combinatorial problem and then by solving this problem.
We give necessary conditions on the invariants (d,g) of a smooth, integral curve self-linked by a complete intersection of type (a,b) in projective three space. Similar conditions are given for s.t.c.i. curves with a multiplicity three structure.
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…
We give restrictions on the existence of families of curves on smooth projective surfaces $S$ of nonnegative Kodaira dimension all having constant geometric genus $g \geq 2$ and hyperelliptic normalizations. In particular, we prove a Reider-like result whose proof is ``vector bundle-free'' and relies on deformation theory and bending-and-breaking of rational curves in $\Sym^2(S)$. We also give examples of families of such curves.
The problem of determining the splitting of the normal bundle of rational space curves has been considered in the 80s in a series of papers by Ghione and Sacchiero and by Eisenbud and Van de Ven. With our approach we are able to obtain results for curves embedded in $\bbP^m$ for $m\geq 3$ and we find an interesting interplay between the Waring decomposition of binary forms and the splitting of the normal bundle.
We show that any tetragonal Gorenstein integral curve is a complete intersection in its respective $3$-fold rational normal scroll S, implying that the normal sheaf on $C$ embedded in S, and in $\mathbb{P}^{g-1}$ as well, is unstable for $g\geq 5$, provided that $S$ is smooth. We also compute the degree of the normal sheaf of any singular reduced curve in terms of the Tjurina and Deligne numbers, providing a semicontinuity of the degree of the normal sheaf over suitable deformations, revisiting classical results of the local theory of analytic germs.
We study the stability of the normal bundle of canonical genus $8$ curves and prove that on a general curve the bundle is stable. The proof rests on Mukai's description of these curves as linear sections of a Grassmannian $\mathrm{G}(2,6)$. This is the next case of a conjecture by M. Aprodu, G. Farkas, and A. Ortega: the general canonical curve of every genus $g \geq 7$ should have stable normal bundle. We also give some more evidence for this conjecture in higher genus.
We characterize all $(n-2)$-dimensional linear subspaces of $\mathbb{P}^{n}$ such that the induced linear projection, when restricted to the rational normal curve, gives a Galois morphism. We give an explicit description of these spaces as a disjoint union of locally closed subvarieties in the Grassmannian $\mathbb{G}(n-2,n)$.
We give a closed formula for the dimension of all linear systems in $\mathbb{P}^n$ with assigned multiplicity at arbitrary collections of points lying on a rational normal curve of degree $n$. In particular we give a purely geometric explanation of the speciality of these linear systems, which is due to the presence of certain subvarieties in the base locus: linear spans of points, secant varieties of the rational normal curve or joins between them.
In this paper, we prove that the normal bundle of a general Brill-Noether space curve of degree $d$ and genus $g \geq 2$ is stable if and only if $(d,g) \not\in \{ (5,2), (6,4) \}$. When $g\leq1$ and the characteristic of the ground field is zero, it is classical that the normal bundle is strictly semistable. We show that this fails in characteristic $2$ for all rational curves of even degree.
Let q be a power of a prime integer p, and let X be a Hermitian variety of degree q+1 in the n-dimensional projective space. We count the number of rational normal curves that are tangent to X at distinct q+1 points with intersection multiplicity n. This generalizes a result of B. Segre on the permutable pairs of a Hermitian curve and a smooth conic.
In this paper, we study the Brill-Noether theory of the normalizations of singular, irreducible curves on a $K3$ surface. We introduce a {\em singular} Brill-Noether number $ρ_{sing}$ and show that if the Picard group of the K3 surface is ${\mathbb Z} [L]$, there are no $g^r_d$'s on the normalizations of irreducible curves in $|L|$, provided that $ρ_{sing} <0$. We give examples showing the sharpness of this result. We then focus on the case of {\em hyperelliptic normalizations}, and classify linear systems $|L|$ containing irreducible nodal curves with hyperelliptic normalizations, for $ρ_{sin…
Let $C$ be a smooth curve of genus $g$. For each positive integer $r$ the $r$-gonality $d_r(C)$ of $C$ is the minimal integer $t$ such that there is $L\in {Pic}^t(C)$ with $h^0(C,L) =r+1$. In this paper for all $g\ge 40805$ we construct several examples of smooth curves $C$ of genus $g$ with $d_3(C)/3< d_4(C)/4$, i.e. for which a slope inequality fails.
Let $X \subset \mathbb{P}^n$ be a general Fano complete intersection of type $(d_1,\dots, d_k)$. If at least one $d_i$ is greater than $2$, we show that $X$ contains rational curves of degree $e \leq n$ with balanced normal bundle. If all $d_i$ are $2$ and $n\geq 2k+1$, we show that $X$ contains rational curves of degree $e \leq n-1$ with balanced normal bundle. As an application, we prove a stronger version of the theorem of Z. Tian \cite{Tian}, Q. Chen and Y. Zhu \cite{ChenZhu} that $X$ is separably rationally connected by exhibiting very free rational curves in $X$ of optimal degrees.
A well-known conjecture asserts that smooth threefolds $X\subset\{\mathbb P}^5$ are quadratically normal with the only exception of the Palatini scroll. As a corollary of a more general statement we obtain the following result, which is related to the previous conjecture: If $X\subset\{\mathbb P}^5$ is not quadratically normal, then its triple curve is reducible. Similar results are also given for higher dimensional varieties.
Let $L$ be a very ample line bundle on a smooth curve $C$ of genus $g$ with $\frac{3g+3}{2}<°L\le 2g-5$. Then $L$ is normally generated if $°L>\max\{2g+2-4h^1(C,L), 2g-\frac{g-1}{6}-2h^1(C,L)\}$. Let $C$ be a triple covering of genus $p$ curve $C'$ with $C\stackrelϕ\to C'$ and $D$ a divisor on $C'$ with $4p<°D< \frac{g-1}{6}-2p$. Then $K_C(-ϕ^*D)$ becomes a very ample line bundle which is normally generated. As an application, we characterize some smooth projective surfaces.
Let $C$ be a trigonal curve of genus $g\ge 5$ and let $T$ be the unique trigonal line bundle inducing a map $π: C \stackrel{3:1}{\longrightarrow} \mathbb{P}^1$. This note provides a short and easy proof of the normal generation for the residual line bundle $K_C\otimes T^{-1}$ for curves of genus $g\ge 7$. Moreover, we compute the minimal free resolution of the embedded curve $C\subset \mathbb{P}(H^0(C,K_C\otimes T^{-n})^*)$ for the residual line bundle $K_C\otimes T^{-n}$ for $n\ge 1$ and $g \ge 3n+4$.
Let $X\subset \mathbb {P}^n$ be a linearly normal elliptic curve. For any $P\in \mathbb {P}^n$ the $X$-rank of $P$ is the minimal cardinality of a set $S\subset X$ such that $P\in \langle S\rangle$. In this paper we give an almost complete description of the stratification of $\mathbb {P}^n$ given by the $X$-rank and the open $X$-rank.
For each linearly normal elliptic curve $C$ in $\mathbb P^3$, we determine Galois lines and their arrangement. The results are as follows: the curve $C$ has just six $V_4$-lines and in case $j(C)=1$, it has eight $Z_4$-lines in addition. The $V_4$-lines form the edges of a tetrahedron, in case $j(C)=1$, for each vertex of the tetrahedron, there exist just two $Z_4$-lines passing through it. We obtain as a corollary that each plane quartic curve of genus one does not have more than one Galois point.
We continue the program of classification of normal Q-acyclic surfaces defined over the field of complex numbers, so-called 'Q-homology planes'. Here we show that if a Q-homology plane has negative Kodaira dimension then its smooth locus is not of general type. This generalizes an earlier result of Koras-Russell for contractible surfaces.
One describes those double structures on rational normal curves which are defined scheme theoretically by quadratic equations and have linear syzygies, generalizing this way the double line in the plane
In this paper we study existence and uniqueness of rational normal curves in $\PP^n$ passing through $p$ points and intersecting $l$ codimension two linear spaces in $n-1$ points each. If $p+l=n+3$ and the points and the linear spaces are generic, one expects the curve to exist, but this is not always the case. Our main result precisely describes in which cases the curve exists and in which it does not exist.
Let $N$ be a point of an orbit closure $\bar{O_M}$ in a module variety such that its orbit $O_N$ has codimension two in $\bar{O_M}$. We show that under some additional conditions the pointed variety $(\bar{O_M},N)$ is smoothly equivalent to a cone over a rational normal curve.
This note is an attempt to relate explicitly the geometric and algebraic properties of a space curve that is contained in some double plane. We show in particular that the minimal generators of the homogeneous ideal of such a curve can be written in a very specific form. As applications we characterize the possible Hartshorne-Rao modules of curves in a double plane and the minimal curves in their even Liaison classes.
In this paper we study ideals of points lying on rational normal curves defined in projective plane and projective $ 3 $-space. We give an explicit formula for the value of Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity for their ordinary powers. Moreover, we compare the $ m $-th symbolic and ordinary powers for such ideals in order to show whenever the $ m $-th symbolic defect is non-zero.
In this paper we study the formal classication of two-dimensional neighborhoods of genus g $\ge$ 2 curves with trivial normal bundle. We first construct formal foliations on such neighborhoods with holonomy vanishing along many loops, then give the formal/analytic classication of neighborhoods equipped with two foliations, and finally put this together to obtain a description of the space of neighborhoods up to formal equivalence.
Let H(d) be the (open) Hilbert scheme of rational normal curves of degree d in P^d. A presentation of the integral Chow ring of H(d) is given via equivariant Chow ring computations. Included also in the paper are algebraic computations of the integral equivariant Chow rings of the algebraic groups O(n), SO(2k+1). The results for S0(3)=PGL(2) are needed for the Hilbert scheme calculation.
Let $k$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p>0$ and let $C/k$ be a smooth connected affine curve. Denote by $π_1(C)$ its algebraic fundamental group. The goal of this paper is to characterize a certain subset of closed normal subgroups $N$ of $π_1(C)$. In "Normal subgroups of fundamental groups of affine curves in positive characteristic" we proved the same result under the additional hypothesis that $k$ had countable cardinality.
We prove a conjecture by F. Ferrari. Let X be the total space of a nonlinear deformation of a rank 2 holomorphic vector bundle on a smooth rational curve, such that X has trivial canonical bundle and has sections. Then the normal bundle to such sections is computed in terms of the rank of the Hessian of a suitably defined superpotential at its critical points.