A classification of Lagrangian planes in holomorphic symplectic varieties

Abstract

Classically, an indecomposable class $R$ in the cone of effective curves on a K3 surface $X$ is representable by a smooth rational curve if and only if $R^2=-2$. We prove a higher-dimensional generalization conjectured by Hassett and Tschinkel: for a holomorphic symplectic variety $M$ deformation equivalent to a Hilbert scheme of $n$ points on a K3 surface, an extremal curve class $R\in H_2(M,\mathbb{Z})$ in the Mori cone is the line in a Lagrangian $n$-plane $\mathbb{P}^n\subset M$ if and only if certain intersection-theoretic criteria are met. In particular, any such class satisfies $(R,R)=-\frac{n+3}{2}$ and the primitive such classes are all contained in a single monodromy orbit.