An algorithmic approach to the Polydegree Conjecture for plane polynomial automorphisms

We study the interaction between two structures on the group of polynomial automorphisms of the affine plane: its structure as an amalgamated free product and as an infinite-dimensional algebraic variety. We introduce a new conjecture, and show how it implies the Polydegree Conjecture. As the new conjecture is an ideal membership question, this shows that the Polydegree Conjecture is algorithmically decidable. We further describe how this approach provides a unified and shorter method of recovering existing results of Edo and Furter.     

An algebraic construction of the ring of¶piecewise polynomial functions

In this note we will prove an algebraic characterization of the piecewiese polynomial functions of a real ℚ-algebra A. This characterization is related to the realm of investigations concerning the Pierce–Birkhoff conjecture. Received: 23 June 1997 / Revised version: 26 May 1998     

Applications of toric systems on surfaces

In this note we apply the techniques of the toric systems introduced by Hille–Perling to several problems on smooth projective surfaces: We showed that the existence of full exceptional collection of line bundles implies the rationality for small Picard rank surfaces; we proved equivalences of several notions of cyclic strong exceptional collection of line bundles; we also proposed a partial solution to a conjecture on exceptional sheaves on weak del Pezzo surfaces.     

Cohomological characterisation of monads

Let X be an n‐dimensional smooth projective variety with an n‐block collection , with , of coherent sheaves on X that generate the bounded derived category . We give a cohomological characterisation of torsion‐free sheaves on X that are the cohomology of monads of the form where . We apply the result to get a cohomological characterisation when X is the projective space, the smooth hyperquadric or the Fano threefold V₅. We construct a family of monads on a Segre variety and apply our main result to this family.     

Elementary modifications and line configurations in ℙ<Superscript>2</Superscript>

Associated to a projective arrangement of hyperplanes ${\mathcal A}$ ⁿ is the module D$({\mathcal A})$, which consists of derivations tangent to ${\mathcal A}$. We study D$({\mathcal A})$ when ${\mathcal A}$ is a configuration of lines in ². In this setting, we relate the deletion/restriction construction used in the study of hyperplane arrangements to elementary modifications of bundles. This allows us to obtain bounds on the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of D$({\mathcal A})$. We also give simple combinatorial conditions for the associated bundle to be stable, and describe its jump lines. These regularity bounds and stability considerations impose constraints on Teraos conjecture.     

On a conjecture of Cox and Katz

This note shows that a certain toric quotient of the quintic Calabi-Yau threefold in provides a counterexample to a recent conjecture of Cox and Katz concerning nef cones of toric hypersurfaces. Received: 8 February 2001; in final form: 17 September 2001 / Published online: 1 February 2002     

On a conjecture of W. Veys

In this work we show a singular K3 surface S of such that producing a counter-example to a conjecture of Veys. Received: 22 October 1999     

ABC implies the radicalized Vojta height inequality for curves

The truncated or radicalized counting function of a meromorphic function counts the number of times that f takes a value a, but without multiplicity. By analogy, one also defines this function for numbers. In this sequel to [M. van Frankenhuijsen, The ABC conjecture implies Vojta's height inequality for curves, J. Number Theory 95 (2002) 289-302], we prove the radicalized version of Vojta's height inequality, using the ABC conjecture. We explain the connection with a conjecture of Serge Lang about the different error terms associated with Vojta's height inequality and with the radicalized Vojta height inequality.     

Multiple supersingular elliptic fibers on elliptic surfaces

Elliptic surfaces over an algebraically closed field in characteristic p>0 with multiple supersingular elliptic fibers, that is, multiple fibers of a supersingular elliptic curve, are investigated. In particular, it is shown that for an elliptic surface with q=g+1 and a supersingular elliptic curve as a general fiber, where q is the dimension of an Albanese variety of the surface and g is the genus of the base curve, the multiplicities of the multiple supersingular elliptic fibers are not divisible by p². As an application of this result, the structure of false hyperelliptic surfaces is discussed on this basis.     

Chern classes of reflexive sheaves on normal surfaces

We define Chern classes of reflexive sheaves using Wahl's relative local Chern classes of vector bundles. The main result of the paper bounds contributions of singularities of a sheaf to the Riemann–Roch formula. Using it we are able to prove inequality in Wahl's conjecture on relative asymptotic RR formula for rank 2 vector bundles. Moreover, we prove that if Wahl's conjecture is true for a singularity then it is true for any its quotient. This implies Wahl's conjecture for quotient singularities and for quotients of cones over elliptic curves. Received March 2, 1998; in final form March 24, 1999 / Published online September 14, 2000     

Smooth surfaces in smooth fourfolds with vanishing first Chern class

According to a conjecture attributed to Hartshorne and Lichtenbaum and proven by Ellingsrud and Peskine [18], the smooth rational surfaces in ${\mathbb{P}}^4$ belong to only finitely many families. We formulate and study a collection of analogous problems in which ${\mathbb{P}}^4$ is replaced by a smooth fourfold X with vanishing first integral Chern class. We embed such X into a smooth ambient variety and count families of smooth surfaces which arise in X from the ambient variety. We obtain various finiteness results in such settings. The central technique is the introduction of a new numerical invariant for smooth surfaces in smooth fourfolds with vanishing first Chern class.     

An explicit construction of ruled surfaces

The main goal of this paper is to give a general algorithm to compute, via computer-algebra systems, an explicit set of generators of the ideals of the projective embeddings of ruled surfaces, i.e. projectivizations of rank two vector bundles over curves, such that the fibers are embedded as smooth rational curves.There are two different applications of our algorithm. Firstly, given a very ample linear system on an abstract ruled surface, our algorithm allows computing the ideal of the embedded surface, all the syzygies, and all the algebraic invariants which are computable from its ideal as, for instance, the k-regularity. Secondly, it is possible to prove the existence of new embeddings of ruled surfaces.The method can be implemented over any computer-algebra system able to deal with commutative algebra and Gröbner-basis computations. An implementation of our algorithms for the computer-algebra system Macaulay2 (cf. [Daniel R. Grayson, Michael E. Stillman, Macaulay 2, a software system for research in algebraic geometry, 1993. Available at http://www.math.uiuc.edu/Macaulay2/]) and explicit examples are enclosed.     

Mellin-Barnes integrals as Fourier-Mukai transforms

We study the generalized hypergeometric system introduced by Gelfand, Kapranov and Zelevinsky and its relationship with the toric Deligne-Mumford (DM) stacks recently studied by Borisov, Chen and Smith. We construct series solutions with values in a combinatorial version of the Chen-Ruan (orbifold) cohomology and in the K-theory of the associated DM stacks. In the spirit of the homological mirror symmetry conjecture of Kontsevich, we show that the K-theory action of the Fourier-Mukai functors associated to basic toric birational maps of DM stacks are mirrored by analytic continuation transformations of Mellin-Barnes type.     

Ideals of varieties parameterized by certain symmetric tensors

The ideal of a Segre variety P^n₁×?×P^n_t?P^{(n₁+1)?(n_t+1)−1} is generated by the 2-minors of a generic hypermatrix of indeterminates (see [H.T. Hà, Box-shaped matrices and the defining ideal of certain blowup surface, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 167 (2-3) (2002) 203-224. MR1874542 (2002h:13020)] and [R. Grone, Decomposable tensors as a quadratic variety, Proc. Amer. Math. 43 (2) (1977) 227-230. MR0472853 (57 #12542)]). We extend this result to the case of Segre-Veronese varieties. The main tool is the concept of “weak generic hypermatrix” which allows us to treat also the case of projection of Veronese surfaces from a set of general points and of Veronese varieties from a Cohen-Macaulay subvariety of codimension 2.     

Rational Lagrangian fibrations on punctual Hilbert schemes of K3 surfaces

A rational Lagrangian fibration f on an irreducible symplectic variety V is a rational map which is birationally equivalent to a regular surjective morphism with Lagrangian fibers. By analogy with K3 surfaces, it is natural to expect that a rational Lagrangian fibration exists if and only if V has a divisor D with Bogomolov–Beauville square 0. This conjecture is proved in the case when V is the Hilbert scheme of d points on a generic K3 surface S of genus g under the hypothesis that its degree 2g−2 is a square times 2d−2. The construction of f uses a twisted Fourier–Mukai transform which induces a birational isomorphism of V with a certain moduli space of twisted sheaves on another K3 surface M, obtained from S as its Fourier–Mukai partner.     

Projectively simple rings

An infinite-dimensional N-graded k-algebra A is called projectively simple if dim_kA/I<∞ for every nonzero two-sided ideal I⊂A. We show that if a projectively simple ring A is strongly noetherian, is generated in degree 1, and has a point module, then A is equal in large degree to a twisted homogeneous coordinate ring B=B(X,L,σ). Here X is a smooth projective variety, σ is an automorphism of X with no proper σ-invariant subvariety (we call such automorphisms wild), and L is a σ-ample line bundle. We conjecture that if X admits a wild automorphism then every irreducible component of X is an abelian variety. We prove several results in support of this conjecture; in particular, we show that the conjecture is true if . In the case where X is an abelian variety, we describe all wild automorphisms of X . Finally, we show that if A is projectively simple and admits a balanced dualizing complex, then is Cohen-Macaulay and Gorenstein.