Second order homological obstructions on real algebraic manifolds

Let Y be a compact nonsingular real algebraic set whose homology classes (over Z/2) are represented by Zariski closed subsets. It is well known that every smooth map from a compact smooth manifold to Y is unoriented bordant to a regular map. In this paper, we show how to construct smooth maps from compact nonsingular real algebraic sets to Y not homotopic to any regular map starting from a nonzero homology class of Y of positive degree. We use these maps to obtain obstructions to the existence of local algebraic tubular neighborhoods of algebraic submanifolds of Rn and to study some algebro-homological properties of rational real algebraic manifolds.     

Algebraic cycles and realification of complex projective varieties

We investigate some properties of underlying real algebraic structure on complex projective varieties.     

Regular versus continuous rational maps

We prove that a continuous map from a compact nonsingular real algebraic variety X into the unit 2-sphere can be approximated by regular maps if and only if it is homotopic to a continuous map which is regular in the complement of a Zariski closed subvariety A of X of codimension at least 3. The assumption on the codimension of A is essential.     

Algebraically constructible functions and signs of polynomials

LetW be a real algebraic set. We show that the following families of integer-valued functions onW coincide: (i) the functions of the formω →λ(X _ω ), where X _ω are the fibres of a regular morphismf :X →W of real algebraic sets, (ii) the functions of the formω →χ(X _ω ), where X _ω are the fibres of a proper regular morphismf :X →W of real algebraic sets, (iii) the finite sums of signs of polynomials onW. Such functions are called algebraically constructible onW. Using their characterization in terms of signs of polynomials we present new proofs of their basic functorial properties with respect to the link operator and specialization. Research partially supported by an Australian Research Council Small Grant. Second author also partially supported by KBN 610/P3/94.     

On Harder-Narasimhan strata in flag manifolds

This paper deals with a question of Fontaine and Rapoport which was posed in [1]. They asked for the determination of the index set of the Harder-Narasimhan vectors of the filtered isocrystals with fixed Newton- and Hodge vector. The aim of this paper is to give an answer to their question.     

Minimal generators of toric ideals of graphs

Let IG be the toric ideal of a graph G. We characterize in graph theoretical terms the primitive, the minimal, the indispensable and the fundamental binomials of the toric ideal IG.     

Some results about the projective normality of abelian varieties

We reduce the problem of the projective normality of polarized abelian varieties to check the rank of very explicit matrices. This allows us to prove some results on normal generation of primitive line bundles on abelian threefolds and fourfolds. We also give two situations where the projective normality always fails. Finally we make some conjecture. Received: 1 September 2004; revised: 10 March 2005     

Abelian surfaces in projective toric 4-folds

We show fundamental properties on embedding of abelian surfaces into projective toric 4-folds, and study the case of the toric Del Pezzo 4-fold from the viewpoint of the moduli space of abelian surfaces with polarization of type (1, 5). Received: 31 January 2005; revised: 15 April 2005     

On a result of Miyanishi-Masuda

Let X be an affine surface admitting a unique affine ruling and a -action. Assume that the ruling has a unique degenerate fibre and that this fibre is irreducible. In this paper we give a short proof of the following result of Miyanishi and Masuda: the universal covering of X is a hypersurface in the affine 3-space given by the equation x^my = z^d − 1, where m > 1. Received: 13 June 2005     

Norm-graphs and bipartite turán numbers

For everyt>1 and positiven we construct explicit examples of graphsG with |V (G)|=n, |E(G)|c _t ·n ^2–1/t which do not contain a complete bipartite graghK _t,t !+1 This establishes the exact order of magnitude of the Turán numbers ex (n, K _t,s ) for any fixedt and allst!+1, improving over the previous probabilistic lower bounds for such pairs (t, s). The construction relies on elementary facts from commutative algebra.Research supported in part by NSF Grants DMS-8707320 and DMS-9102866.Research supported in part by Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research Grant     

The geometry of rational parameterized representations

We study the projective space of univariate rational parameterized equations of degree d or less in real projective space The parameterized equations of degree less than d form a special algebraic variety We investigate the subspaces on and their relation to rational curves in give a geometric characterization of the automorphism group of and outline applications of the theory to projective kinematics.     

Secant varieties of toric varieties

Let X_P be a smooth projective toric variety of dimension n embedded in P^r using all of the lattice points of the polytope P. We compute the dimension and degree of the secant variety . We also give explicit formulas in dimensions 2 and 3 and obtain partial results for the projective varieties X_A embedded using a set of lattice points A⊂P∩Zⁿ containing the vertices of P and their nearest neighbors.     

Finite Gorenstein representation type implies simple singularity

Let R be a commutative noetherian local ring and consider the set of isomorphism classes of indecomposable totally reflexive R-modules. We prove that if this set is finite, then either it has exactly one element, represented by the rank 1 free module, or R is Gorenstein and an isolated singularity (if R is complete, then it is even a simple hypersurface singularity). The crux of our proof is to argue that if the residue field has a totally reflexive cover, then R is Gorenstein or every totally reflexive R-module is free.     

A tropical approach to secant dimensions

Tropical geometry yields good lower bounds, in terms of certain combinatorial-polyhedral optimisation problems, on the dimensions of secant varieties. The approach is especially successful for toric varieties such as Segre-Veronese embeddings. In particular, it gives an attractive pictorial proof of the theorem of Hirschowitz that all Veronese embeddings of the projective plane except for the quadratic one and the quartic one are non-defective; and indeed, no Segre-Veronese embeddings are known where the tropical lower bound does not give the correct dimension. Short self-contained introductions to secant varieties and the required tropical geometry are included.     

Universal abelian covers of certain surface singularities

Every normal complex surface singularity with -homology sphere link has a universal abelian cover. It has been conjectured by Neumann and Wahl that the universal abelian cover of a rational or minimally elliptic singularity is a complete intersection singularity defined by a system of ``splice diagram equations'. In this paper we introduce a Neumann-Wahl system, which is an analogue of the system of splice diagram equations, and prove the following. If (X, o) is a rational or minimally elliptic singularity, then its universal abelian cover (Y, o) is an equisingular deformation of an isolated complete intersection singularity (Y₀, o) defined by a Neumann-Wahl system. Furthermore, if G denotes the Galois group of the covering Y → X, then G also acts on Y₀ and X is an equisingular deformation of the quotient Y₀/G. Dedicated to Professor Jonathan Wahl on his sixtieth birthday. This research was partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.     

Torsion points on the jacobian of a Fermat quotient

Let p≥5 be a prime, ζ a primitive pth root of unity and λ=1−ζ. For 1≤s≤p−2, the smooth projective model C_p,s of the affine curve v^p=u^s(1−u) is a curve of genus (p−1)/2 whose jacobian J_p,s has complex multiplication by the ring of integers of the cyclotomic field Q(ζ). In 1981, Greenberg determined the field of rationality of the p-torsion subgroup of J_p,s and moreover he proved that the λ³-torsion points of J_p,s are all rational over Q(ζ). In this paper we determine quite explicitly the λ³-torsion points of J_p,1 for p=5 and p=7, as well as some further p-torsion points which have interesting arithmetical applications, notably to the complementary laws of Kummer’s reciprocity for pth powers.     

Valuations, equimultiplicity and normal flatness

Let R be a regular noetherian local ring of dimension n≥2 and (R_i)≡R=R₀⊂R₁⊂R₂⊂?⊂R_i⊂? be a sequence of successive quadratic transforms along a regular prime ideal p of R (i.e if p_i is the strict transform of p in R_i, then p_i≠R_i, i≥0). We say that p is maximal for (R_i) if for every non-negative integer j≥0 and for every prime ideal q_j of R_j such that (R_i) is a quadratic sequence along q_j with p_j⊂q_j, we have p_j=q_j. We show that p is maximal for (R_i) if and only if V=∪_i≥0R_i/p_i is a valuation ring of dimension one. In this case, the equimultiple locus at p is the set of elements of the maximal ideal of R for which the multiplicity is stable along the sequence (R_i), provided that the series of real numbers given by the multiplicity sequence associated with V diverges. Furthermore, if we consider an ideal J of R, we also show that is normally flat along at the closed point if and only if the Hironaka’s character ν^∗(J,R) is stable along the sequence (R_i). This generalizes well known results for the case where p has height one (see [B.M. Bennett, On the characteristic functions of a local ring, Ann. of Math. Second Series 91 (1) (1970) 25-87]).