Vector fields on smooth threefolds vanishing on complete intersections

A result of J. Wahl shows that the existence of a vector field vanishing on an ample divisor of a projective normal variety X implies that X is a cone over this divisor. If X is smooth, X will be isomorphic to the n-dimensional projective space. This paper is a first attempt to generalize Wahl's theorem to higher codimensions: Given a complex smooth projective threefold X and a vector field on X vanishing on an irreducible and reduced curve which is the scheme theoretic intersection of two ample divisors, X is isomorphic to the 3-dimensional projective space or the 3-dimensional quadric. Received: 24 April 2001