Galois coverings and endomorphisms of projective varieties

We prove that the vector bundle associated to a Galois covering of projective manifolds is ample (resp. nef) under very mild conditions. This results is applied to the study of ramified endomorphisms of Fano manifolds with b ₂ = 1. It is conjectured that is the only Fano manifold admitting an endomorphism of degree d ≥ 2, and we verify this conjecture in several cases. An important ingredient is a generalization of a theorem of Andreatta–Wisniewski, characterizing projective space via the existence of an ample subsheaf in the tangent bundle. Marian Aprodu was supported in part by a Humboldt Research Fellowship and a Humboldt Return Fellowship. He expresses his special thanks to the Mathematical Institute of Bayreuth University for hospitality during the first stage of this work. Stefan Kebekus and Thomas Peternell were supported by the DFG-Schwerpunkt “Globale Methoden in der komplexen Geometrie” and the DFG-Forschergruppe “Classification of Algebraic Surfaces and Compact Complex Manifolds”. A part of this paper was worked out while Stefan Kebekus visited the Korea Institute for Advanced Study. He would like to thank Jun-Muk Hwang for the invitation.     

Characterization theorems for the projective space and vector bundle adjunction

 We consider some conditions under which a smooth projective variety X is actually the projective space. We also extend to the case of positive characteristic some results in the theory of vector bundle adjunction. We use methods and techniques of the so called Mori theory, in particular the study of rational curves on projective manifolds. Received: 16 May 2002 / Revised version: 18 November 2002 Published online: 3 March 2003 Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 14E30, 14J40, 14J45     

On Riesz groups

In this paper we investigate projective 4-dimensional manifolds X whose tangent bundles T_X are numerically effective and give an almost complete classification. An important technical tool is the “Mori theory” of projective manifolds X whose canonical bundles K_X are not numerically effective.     

Effective bounds for very ample line bundles

Let be an ample line bundle on a non singular projective -fold . It is first shown that is very ample for . The proof develops an original idea of Y.T. Siu and is based on a combination of the Riemann-Roch theorem together with an improved Noetherian induction technique for the Nadel multiplier ideal sheaves. In the second part, an effective version of the big Matsusaka theorem is obtained, refining an earlier version of Y.T. Siu: there is an explicit polynomial bound of degree in the arguments, such that is very ample for . The refinement is obtained through a new sharp upper bound for the dualizing sheaves of algebraic varieties embedded in projective space. Oblatum 30-I-1995 & 18-V-1995     

Monodromy and Connectedness

The purpose of this note is initially to present an elementarybut surprising connectedness principle pertaining to the intersectionof a fixed subvariety X of some ambient space Z with anothersubvariety Y which is ‘mobile’ (in the sense ofbeing movable, rather than actually moving). It is via thismobility that monodromy enters the picture, permitting the crucialpassage from ‘relative’ or total-space irreducibilityto ‘absolute’ or fibrewise connectedness (and sometimesirreducibility). A general form of this principle is given inTheorem 2 below. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification 14C99,15N05.     

A Generic Identification Theorem for Groups of Finite Morley Rank

The paper contains a final identification theorem for the ‘generic’K^*-groups of finite Morley rank.     

Tomographie Des Varietes Singulieres Et Theoremes De Lefschetz

Nous étudions l'homotopie d'une variétéquasi-projective dans un espace projectif complexe selon laméthode de Lefschetz, c'est-à-dire en considérantses sections par les hyperplans d'un pinceau (tomographie).En particulier, nous aboutissons à un théorèmedu type de Lefschetz qui généralise dans une certainedirection les meilleurs résultats connus dus àHamm, Lê, Goresky et MacPherson. Ce théorèmeest démontré par récurrence sur la dimensionde l'espace projectif ambiant à partir d'un théorèmesur les pinceaux d'axe générique qui constituele résultat principal de l'article. Ce dernier comparela topologie de la variété à celle de sasection par un hyperplan générique du pinceausur la base des comparaisons (section hyperplane générique– section par l'axe du pinceau) et (sections hyperplanesexceptionnelles – section par l'axe); l'incidence dessingularités est mesurée par un invariant appelé‘profondeur homotopique rectifiée globale’(analogue global de la notion de profondeur homotopique rectifiéede Grothendieck). We study the homotopy of a quasi-projectivevariety in a complex projective space following Lefschetz'smethod, that is, by considering its sections by the hyperplanesof a pencil (tomography). Specifically, we obtain a theoremof Lefschetz type which generalizes in a certain direction thebest-known results due to Hamm, Lê, Goresky and MacPherson.This theorem is proved by induction on the dimension of theambient projective space with the help of a theorem on pencilswith generic axis which is the main result of the paper. Thelatter compares the topology of the variety with that of itssection by a generic hyperplane of the pencil, on the basisof the following comparisons: section by a generic hyperplanewith section by the axis of the pencil; and sections by theexceptional hyperplanes with section by the axis. The effectof the singularities is measured by an invariant called ‘globalrectified homotopical depth’ (a global analogue of thenotion of rectified homotopical depth of Grothendieck). E-mail: eyral{at}cmi.univ-mrs.fr 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification:32S50, 14F35, 14F17.     

Murphy’s law in algebraic geometry: Badly-behaved deformation spaces

We consider the question: “How bad can the deformation space of an object be?” The answer seems to be: “Unless there is some a priori reason otherwise, the deformation space may be as bad as possible.” We show this for a number of important moduli spaces. More precisely, every singularity of finite type over ? (up to smooth parameters) appears on: the Hilbert scheme of curves in projective space; and the moduli spaces of smooth projective general-type surfaces (or higher-dimensional varieties), plane curves with nodes and cusps, stable sheaves, isolated threefold singularities, and more. The objects themselves are not pathological, and are in fact as nice as can be: the curves are smooth, the surfaces are automorphism-free and have very ample canonical bundle, the stable sheaves are torsion-free of rank 1, the singularities are normal and Cohen-Macaulay, etc. This justifies Mumford’s philosophy that even moduli spaces of well-behaved objects should be arbitrarily bad unless there is an a priori reason otherwise. Thus one can construct a smooth curve in projective space whose deformation space has any given number of components, each with any given singularity type, with any given non-reduced behavior. Similarly one can give a surface over $\mathbb{F}_{p}We consider the question: “How bad can the deformation space of an object be?” The answer seems to be: “Unless there is some a priori reason otherwise, the deformation space may be as bad as possible.” We show this for a number of important moduli spaces. More precisely, every singularity of finite type over ℤ (up to smooth parameters) appears on: the Hilbert scheme of curves in projective space; and the moduli spaces of smooth projective general-type surfaces (or higher-dimensional varieties), plane curves with nodes and cusps, stable sheaves, isolated threefold singularities, and more. The objects themselves are not pathological, and are in fact as nice as can be: the curves are smooth, the surfaces are automorphism-free and have very ample canonical bundle, the stable sheaves are torsion-free of rank 1, the singularities are normal and Cohen-Macaulay, etc. This justifies Mumford’s philosophy that even moduli spaces of well-behaved objects should be arbitrarily bad unless there is an a priori reason otherwise. Thus one can construct a smooth curve in projective space whose deformation space has any given number of components, each with any given singularity type, with any given non-reduced behavior. Similarly one can give a surface over that lifts to ℤ/p⁷ but not ℤ/p⁸. (Of course the results hold in the holomorphic category as well.) It is usually difficult to compute deformation spaces directly from obstruction theories. We circumvent this by relating them to more tractable deformation spaces via smooth morphisms. The essential starting point is Mn?v’s universality theorem. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 14B12, 14C05, 14J10, 14H50, 14B07, 14N20, 14D22, 14B05     

Quadratisation de Certaines Structures de Poisson

On sait associer à certaines structures de Poisson surRⁿ, de 1-jet nul en 0, des actions de R² sur Rⁿ, donnéespar le ‘rotationnel’ de leur partie quadratiqueet un autre champ de vecteurs. Lorsque ces actions sont ‘nonrésonantes’ et ‘hyperboliques’, onmontre que ces structures sont ‘quadratisables’,en ce sens qu'il existe des coordonnées dans lesquelles,elles sont quadratiques. Dans le cas de la dimension 3, nosrésultats mènent à la ‘non-dégénérescence’générique des structures de Poisson quadratiquesà rotationnels inversibles. We can associate with some Poisson structures defined on Rⁿwith a zero 1-jet at zero, actions from R² on Rⁿ, given by the‘curl’ of their quadratic part and another vectorfield. Assuming that those actions are ‘hyperbolics’and without ‘resonances’, we give a normal formfor those structures. On R³, we prove that every quadratic Poissonstructure with invertible curl, is generically ‘non degenerate’.     

Estimates for the Number of Sums and Products and for Exponential Sums in Fields of Prime Order

Our first result is a ‘sum-product’ theorem forsubsets A of the finite field F_p, p prime, providing a lowerbound on max (|A + A|, |A · A|). The second and mainresult provides new bounds on exponential sums     

An affirmative answer to a question of Ciliberto

We give an example of a nondegeneraten-dimensional smooth projective varietyX inP ²ⁿ⁺¹ with the canonical bundle ample a varietyX whose tangent variety TanX has dimension less than 2n over an algebraically closed field of any characteristic whenn≥9. This varietyX is not ruled by lines and the embedded tangent space at a general point ofX intersectsX at some other points, so that this yields an affirmative answer to a question of Ciliberto.     

On weakly eutactic forms

We make precise some properties of the Hermite function in relationwith the Morse theory introduced by Avner Ash in his papers‘On eutactic forms’,Canad. J. Math. 29 (1977) 1040–1054and ‘On the existence of eutactic forms’,Bull. LondonMath. Soc. 12 (1980) 192–196, and with the cellular decompositionof the space of positive definite quadratic forms. We also establisha link between Ash's and Bavard's mass formulae.     

Logarithmic Orbifold Euler Numbers of Surfaces with Applications

We introduce orbifold Euler numbers for normal surfaces withboundary Q-divisors. These numbers behave multiplicatively underfinite maps and in the log canonical case we prove that theysatisfy the Bogomolov–Miyaoka–Yau type inequality.Existence of such a generalization was earlier conjectured byG. Megyesi [Proc. London Math. Soc. (3) 78 (1999) 241–282].Most of the paper is devoted to properties of local orbifoldEuler numbers and to their computation. As a first application we show that our results imply a generalizedversion of R. Holzapfel's ‘proportionality theorem’[Ball and surface arithmetics, Aspects of Mathematics E29 (Vieweg,Braunschweig, 1998)]. Then we show a simple proof of a necessarycondition for the logarithmic comparison theorem which recoversan earlier result by F. Calderón-Moreno, F. Castro-Jiménez,D. Mond and L. Narváez-Macarro [Comment. Math. Helv.77 (2002) 24–38]. Then we prove effective versions of Bogomolov's result on boundednessof rational curves in some surfaces of general type (conjecturedby G. Tian [Springer Lecture Notes in Mathematics 1646 (1996)143–185)]. Finally, we give some applications to singularitiesof plane curves; for example, we improve F. Hirzebruch's boundon the maximal number of cusps of a plane curve. 2000 MathematicalSubject Classification: 14J17, 14J29, 14C17.     

The Riemann Hypothesis and Inverse Spectral Problems for Fractal Strings

Motivated in part by the first author's work [23] on the Weyl-Berryconjecture for the vibrations of ‘fractal drums’(that is, ‘drums with fractal boundary’), M. L.Lapidus and C. Pomerance [31] have studied a direct spectralproblem for the vibrations of ‘fractal strings’(that is, one-dimensional ‘fractal drums’) and establishedin the process some unexpected connections with the Riemannzeta-function = (s) in the ‘critical interval’0 < s < 1. In this paper we show, in particular, thatthe converse of their theorem (suitably interpreted as a naturalinverse spectral problem for fractal strings, with boundaryof Minkowski fractal dimension D (0,1)) is not true in the‘midfractal’ case when D = , but that it is true for all other D in the criticalinterval (0,1) if and only if the Riemann hypothesis is true.We thus obtain a new characterization of the Riemann hypothesisby means of an inverse spectral problem. (Actually, we provethe following stronger result: for a given D (0,1), the aboveinverse spectral problem is equivalent to the ‘partialRiemann hypothesis’ for D, according to which = (s)does not have any zero on the vertical line Re s = D.) Therefore,in some very precise sense, our work shows that the question(à la Marc Kac) "Can one hear the shape of a fractalstring?" – now interpreted as a suitable converse (namely,the above inverse problem) – is intimately connected withthe existence of zeros of = (s) in the critical strip 0 <Res < 1, and hence to the Riemann hypothesis.     

Mumford's example and a general construction

We construct a line bundle on a complex projective manifold (a general ruled variety over a curve) which is not ample, but whose restriction to every proper subvariety is ample. This example is of interest in connection with ampleness questions of vector bundles on varieties of dimension greater than one. The method of construction shows that a stable bundle of positive degree on a curve is ample. The example can be used to show that there is no restriction theorem for Bogomolov stability.     

On Principal Blocks of p-Constrained Groups

A theorem of K. W. Roggenkamp and L. L. Scott shows that fora finite group G with a normal p-subgroup containing its owncentralizer, any two group bases of the integral group ringZG are conjugate in the units of Z_pG. Though the theorem presentsitself in the work of others and appears to be needed, thereis no published account. There seems to be a flaw in the proof,because a ‘theorem’ appearing in the survey [K.W. Roggenkamp, ‘The isomorphism problem for integral grouprings of finite groups’, Progress in Mathematics 95 (Birkhäuser,Basel, 1991), pp. 193--220], where the main ingredients of aproof are given, is false. In this paper, it is shown how toclose this gap, at least if one is only interested in the conclusionmentioned above. Therefore, some consequences of the resultsof A. Weiss on permutation modules are stated. The basic stepsof which any proof should consist are discussed in some detail.In doing so, a complete, yet short, proof of the theorem isgiven in the case that G has a normal Sylow p-subgroup. 2000Mathematical Subject Classification: primary 16U60; secondary20C05.     

On Smooth Maps with Finitely Many Critical Points: Addendum

The paper is an addendum to D. Andrica and L. Funar, ‘Onsmooth maps with finitely many critical points’, J. LondonMath. Soc. (2) 69 (2004) 783–800.     

On the Tightness of Capacities Associated with Sub-Markovian Resolvents

This paper investigates the tightness property of the capacityinduced by the reduction operator with respect to the resolventof a right Markov process. Tightness is verified in two particularsituations: under the ‘weak duality hypothesis’,and if a substitute for ‘the axiom of polarity for thedual theory’ holds. In the second context, the quasi-continuityproperty for the excessive functions is derived. These are extensionsand improvements of results of Lyons and Röckner, Ma andRöckner, Le Jan, and Fitzsimmons, mainly obtained in thecontext of Dirichlet forms. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification31C25, 60J45 (primary), 31C15, 60J40 (secondary).     

Uniqueness cases in odd-type groups of finite Morley rank

There is a longstanding conjecture, due to Gregory Cherlin andBoris Zilber, that all simple groups of finite Morley rank aresimple algebraic groups. One of the major theorems in the areais Borovik's trichotomy theorem. The ‘trichotomy’here is a case division of the generic minimal counterexampleswithin odd type, that is, groups with a large and divisibleSylow° 2-subgroup. The so-called ‘uniqueness case’in the trichotomy theorem is the existence of a proper 2-generatedcore. It is our aim to drive the presence of a proper 2-generatedcore to a contradiction, and hence bind the complexity of theSylow° 2-subgroup of a minimal counterexample to the Cherlin–Zilberconjecture. This paper shows that the group in question is aminimal connected simple group and has a strongly embedded subgroup,a far stronger uniqueness case. As a corollary, a tame counterexampleto the Cherlin–Zilber conjecture has Prüfer rankat most two.