Secant varieties of Grassmann varieties

We consider the dimensions of the higher secant varieties of the Grassmann varieties. We give new instances where these secant varieties have the expected dimension and also a new example where a higher secant variety does not.

     

On the dimensions of secant varieties of Segre-Veronese varieties

This paper explores the dimensions of higher secant varieties to Segre-Veronese varieties. The main goal of this paper is to introduce two different inductive techniques. These techniques enable one to reduce the computation of the dimension of the secant variety in a high-dimensional case to the computation of the dimensions of secant varieties in low-dimensional cases. As an application of these inductive approaches, we will prove non-defectivity of secant varieties of certain two-factor Segre-Veronese varieties. We also use these methods to give a complete classification of defective sth Segre–Veronese varieties for small s. In the final section, we propose a conjecture about defective two-factor Segre–Veronese varieties.     

Singular Poisson-Kähler geometry of Scorza varieties and their secant varieties

Each Scorza variety and its secant varieties in the ambient projective space are identified, in the realm of singular Poisson-Kähler geometry, in terms of projectivizations of holomorphic nilpotent orbits in suitable Lie algebras of hermitian type, the holomorphic nilpotent orbits, in turn, being affine varieties. The ambient projective space acquires an exotic Kähler structure, the closed stratum being the Scorza variety and the closures of the higher strata its secant varieties. In this fashion, the secant varieties become exotic projective varieties. In the rank 3 case, the four regular Scorza varieties coincide with the four critical Severi varieties. In the standard cases, the Scorza varieties and their secant varieties arise also via Kähler reduction. An interpretation in terms of constrained mechanical systems is included.     

Secant varieties and birational geometry

We show how to use information about the equations defining secant varieties to smooth projective varieties in order to construct a natural collection of birational transformations. These were first constructed as flips in the case of curves by M. Thaddeus via Geometric Invariant Theory, and the first flip in the sequence was constructed by the author for varieties of arbitrary dimension in an earlier paper. We expose the finer structure of a second flip; again for varieties of arbitrary dimension. We also prove a result on the cubic generation of the secant variety and give some conjectures on the behavior of equations defining the higher secant varieties. Received: 29 November 1999; in final form: 4 September 2000 / Published online: 23 July 2001     

On secant varieties of compact Hermitian symmetric spaces

We show that the secant varieties of rank three compact Hermitian symmetric spaces in their minimal homogeneous embeddings are normal, with rational singularities. We show that their ideals are generated in degree three—with one exception, the secant variety of the 21-dimensional spinor variety in P⁶³ where we show that the ideal is generated in degree four. We also discuss the coordinate rings of secant varieties of compact Hermitian symmetric spaces.     

Higher order secant varieties and blown up varieties

Let π:X→Y be the blowing up of the projective varietyY at s general points. Here we study the higher order secant varieties of the linearly normal embeddings ofX andY into projective spaces. We give conditions on the embedding ofY which imply that the firstt secant varieties of a related embedding ofX have the expected dimension.     

An asymptotic bound for secant varieties of Segre varieties

This paper studies the defectivity of secant varieties of Segre varieties. We prove that there exists an asymptotic lower estimate for the greater non-defective secant variety (without filling the ambient space) of any given Segre variety. In particular, we prove that the ratio between the greater non-defective secant variety of a Segre variety and its expected rank is lower bounded by a value depending just on the number of factors of the Segre variety. Moreover, in the final section, we present some results obtained by explicit computation, proving the non-defectivity of all the secant varieties of Segre varieties of the shape $(\mathbb{P }^{n})^4$ , with $2 \le n\le 10$ , except at most $\sigma _{199}((\mathbb{P }^8)^4)$ and $\sigma _{357}((\mathbb{P }^{10})^4)$ .     

Severi varieties

R. Hartshorne conjectured and F. Zak proved (cf [6,p.9]) that any smooth non-degenerate complex algebraic variety with satisfies denotes the secant variety of X; when X is smooth it is simply the union of all the secant and tangent lines to X). In this article, I deal with the limiting case of this theorem, namely the Severi varieties, defined by the conditions and . I want to give a different proof of a theorem of F. Zak classifying all Severi varieties. F. Zak proves that there exists only four Severi varieties and then realises a posteriori that all of them are homogeneous; here I will work in another direction: I prove a priori that any Severi variety is homogeneous and then deduce more quickly their classification, satisfying R. Lazarsfeld et A. Van de Ven's wish [6, p.18]. By the way, I give a very brief proof of the fact that the derivatives of the equation of Sec(X), which is a cubic hypersurface, determine a birational morphism of . I wish to thank Laurent Manivel for helping me in writing this article. Received in final form: 29 March 2001 / Published online: 1 February 2002     

Characterizations of Veronese and Segre varieties

We survey the most important characterizations of quadric Veroneseans and Segre varieties of the last thirty years, including some very recent results.     

Equations for secant varieties of Veronese and other varieties

New classes of modules of equations for secant varieties of Veronese varieties are defined using representation theory and geometry. Some old modules of equations (catalecticant minors) are revisited to determine when they are sufficient to give scheme-theoretic defining equations. An algorithm to decompose a general ternary quintic as the sum of seven fifth powers is given as an illustration of our methods. Our new equations and results about them are put into a larger context by introducing vector bundle techniques for finding equations of secant varieties in general. We include a few homogeneous examples of this method.     

Higher order secant varieties and blown up varieties

Let π:X→Y be the blowing up of the projective varietyY at s general points. Here we study the higher order secant varieties of the linearly normal embeddings ofX andY into projective spaces. We give conditions on the embedding ofY which imply that the firstt secant varieties of a related embedding ofX have the expected dimension.     

Minimal sets and varieties

The aim of this paper is twofold. First some machinery is established to reveal the structure of abelian congruences. Then we describe all minimal, locally finite, locally solvable varieties. For locally solvable varieties, this solves problems 9 and 10 of Hobby and McKenzie. We generalize part of this result by proving that all locally finite varieties generated by nilpotent algebras that have a trivial locally strongly solvable subvariety are congruence permutable.

     

On secant dimensions and identifiability of flag varieties

We investigate the secant dimensions and the identifiability of flag varieties parametrizing flags of subspaces of a fixed vector space. We give numerical conditions ensuring that secant varieties of flag varieties have the expected dimension, and that a general point on these secant varieties is identifiable.     

On the varieties defined by Riemann-Mumford's relations

In this paper we consider varieties defined by Riemann-Mumford's relations. An irreducible component of these varieties is related to Siegel modular varieties. We prove that in most cases Riemann-Mumford varieties are not irreducible.

     

A stability condition for line bundles on reducible varieties

Over a family of varieties with singular special fiber, the relative Picard functor (i.e. the moduli space of line bundles) may fail to be compact. We propose a stability condition for line bundles on reducible varieties that is aimed at compactifying it. This stability condition generalizes the notion of ‘balanced multidegree’ used by Caporaso in compactifying the relative Picard functor over families of curves. Unlike the latter, it is defined ‘asymptotically’; an important theme of this paper is that although line bundles on higher-dimensional varieties are more complicated than those on curves, their behavior in terms of stability asymptotically approaches that of line bundles on curves.Using this definition of stability, we prove that over a one-parameter family of varieties having smooth total space, any line bundle on the generic fiber can be extended to a unique semistable line bundle on the (possibly reducible) special fiber, provided the special fiber is not too complicated in a combinatorial sense.     

Distinguishing secant from cactus varieties

Foundations of Computational Mathematics - Cactus varieties are a generalization of secant varieties. They are defined using linear spans of arbitrary finite schemes of bounded length, while secant...     

Embedding theorems on hyperelliptic varieties

In this paper, we investigate linear systems on hyperelliptic varieties. We prove analogues of well-known theorems on abelian varieties, like Lefschetz’s embedding theorem and higher k-jet embedding theorems. Syzygy or \(N_p\) -properties are also deduced for appropriate powers of ample line bundles. This is a first result on linear series, on hyperelliptic varieties.     

Complete intersections in spherical varieties

Let G be a complex reductive algebraic group. We study complete intersections in a spherical homogeneous space G / H defined by a generic collection of sections from G-invariant linear systems. Whenever nonempty, all such complete intersections are smooth varieties. We compute their arithmetic genus as well as some of their \(h^{p,0}\) numbers. The answers are given in terms of the moment polytopes and Newton–Okounkov polytopes associated to G-invariant linear systems. We also give a necessary and sufficient condition on a collection of linear systems so that the corresponding generic complete intersection is nonempty. This criterion applies to arbitrary quasi-projective varieties (i.e., not necessarily spherical homogeneous spaces). When the spherical homogeneous space under consideration is a complex torus \((\mathbb {C}^*)^n\), our results specialize to well-known results from the Newton polyhedra theory and toric varieties.     

Characterizations of quadric and Hermitian Veroneseans over finite fields

In Hirschfeld and Thas [5] the most important characterizations of quadric Veroneseans are surveyed. However a few difficult cases were still open, in particular the even case. In [10, 11] Thas and Van Maldeghem not only solve all open cases, but they also generalize most of these characterizations in several ways: they do not restrict themselves to the quadric Veronesean of the plane PG, they allow ovals instead of conics, and they also characterize projections of quadric Veroneseans. Further, Cooperstein, Thas and Van Maldeghem [1] contains some properties of Hermitian Veroneseans over finite fields and also these varieties and some of their projections are characterized. All these results on Veroneseans will be surveyed here.     

Modular Shimura varieties and forgetful maps

In this note we consider several maps that occur naturally between modular Shimura varieties, Hilbert-Blumenthal varieties and the moduli spaces of polarized abelian varieties when forgetting certain endomorphism structures. We prove that, up to birational equivalences, these forgetful maps coincide with the natural projection by suitable abelian groups of Atkin-Lehner involutions.