arXiv subjects

B. Harbourne

Publications and source records attributed to B. Harbourne.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Veneroni maps

Veneroni maps are a class of birational transformations of projective spaces. This class contains the classical Cremona transformation of the plane, the cubo-cubic transformation of the space and the quatro-quartic transformation of $\mathbb{P}^4$. Their common feature is that they are determined by linear systems of forms of degree $n$ vanishing along $n+1$ general flats of codimension $2$ in $\mathbb{P}^n$. They have appeared recently in a work devoted to the so called unexpected hypersurfaces. The purpose of this work is to refresh the collective memory of the mathematical community about these somewhat forgotten transformations and to provide an elementary description of their basic properties given from a modern point of view.

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arXiv2019

Unexpected surfaces singular on lines in $\mathbb{P}^3$

We study linear systems of surfaces in $\mathbb{P}^3$ singular along general lines. Our purpose is to identify and classify special systems of such surfaces, i.e., those nonempty systems where the conditions imposed by the multiple lines are not independent. We prove the existence of four surfaces arising a(projective) linear systems with a single reduced member, which numerical experiments had suggested must exist. These are unexpected surfaces and we expect that our list is complete, i.e. it contains all special linear systems of affine dimension $1$, whose projectivisation has one, reduced and irreducible member. As an application we find upper bounds for Waldschmidt constants along certain sets of general lines.

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arXiv2018

Unexpected hypersurfaces and where to find them

In a recent paper by Cook, et al., which introduced the concept of unexpected plane curves, the focus was on understanding the geometry of the curves themselves. Here we expand the definition to hypersurfaces of any dimension and, using constructions which appeal to algebra, geometry, representation theory and computation, we obtain a coarse but complete classification of unexpected hypersurfaces. In particular, we determine each $(n,d,m)$ for which there is some finite set of points $Z\subset\mathbb P^n$ with an unexpected hypersurface of degree $d$ in $\mathbb P^n$ having a general point $P$ of multiplicity $m$. Our constructions also give new insight into the interesting question of where to look for such $Z$. Recent work of Di Marca, Malara and Oneto \cite{DMO} and of Bauer, Malara, Szemberg and Szpond \cite{BMSS} give new results and examples in $\mathbb P^2$ and $\mathbb P^3$. We obtain our main results using a new construction of unexpected hypersurfaces involving cones. This method applies in $\mathbb P^n$ for $n \geq 3$ and gives a broad range of examples, which we link to certain failures of the Weak Lefschetz Property. We also give constructions using root systems, both in $\mathbb P^2$ and $\mathbb P^n$ for $n \geq 3$. Finally, we explain an observation of \cite{BMSS}, showing that the unexpected curves of \cite{CHMN} are in some sense dual to their tangent cones at their singular point.

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arXiv2015

Matroid configurations and symbolic powers of their ideals

Star configurations are certain unions of linear subspaces of projective space that have been studied extensively. We develop a framework for studying a substantial generalization, which we call matroid configurations, whose ideals generalize Stanley-Reisner ideals of matroids. Such a matroid configuration is a union of complete intersections of a fixed codimension. Relating these to the Stanley-Reisner ideals of matroids and using methods of Liaison Theory allows us, in particular, to describe the Hilbert function and minimal generators of the ideal of, what we call, a hypersurface configuration. We also establish that the symbolic powers of the ideal of any matroid configuration are Cohen-Macaulay. As applications, we study ideals coming from certain complete hypergraphs and ideals derived from tetrahedral curves. We also consider Waldschmidt constants and resurgences. In particular, we determine the resurgence of any star configuration and many hypersurface configurations. Previously, the only non-trivial cases for which the resurgence was known were certain monomial ideals and ideals of finite sets of points. Finally, we point out a connection to secant varieties of varieties of reducible forms.

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arXiv2015

Secant Varieties of the Varieties of Reducible Hypersurfaces in ${\mathbb P}^n$

Given the space $V={\mathbb P}^{\binom{d+n-1}{n-1}-1}$ of forms of degree $d$ in $n$ variables, and given an integer $\ell>1$ and a partition $\lambda$ of $d=d_1+\cdots+d_r$, it is in general an open problem to obtain the dimensions of the $\ell$-secant varieties $\sigma_\ell ({\mathbb X}_{n-1,\lambda})$ for the subvariety ${\mathbb X}_{n-1,\lambda} \subset V$ of hypersurfaces whose defining forms have a factorization into forms of degrees $d_1,\ldots,d_r$. Modifying a method from intersection theory, we relate this problem to the study of the Weak Lefschetz Property for a class of graded algebras, based on which we give a conjectural formula for the dimension of $\sigma_\ell({\mathbb X}_{n-1,\lambda})$ for any choice of parameters $n,\ell$ and $\lambda$. This conjecture gives a unifying framework subsuming all known results. Moreover, we unconditionally prove the formula in many cases, considerably extending previous results, as a consequence of which we verify many special cases of previously posed conjectures for dimensions of secant varieties of Segre varieties. In the special case of a partition with two parts (i.e., $r=2$), we also relate this problem to a conjecture by Fr\"oberg on the Hilbert function of an ideal generated by general forms.

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arXiv2012

Resolutions of ideals of six fat points in P^2

The graded Betti numbers of the minimal free resolution (and also therefore the Hilbert function) of the ideal of a fat point subscheme Z of P^2 are determined whenever Z is supported at any 6 or fewer distinct points. All results hold over an algebraically closed field k of arbitrary characteristic.

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arXiv2012

Configuration types and cubic surfaces

This paper is a sequel to the paper \cite{refGH}. We relate the matroid notion of a combinatorial geometry to a generalization which we call a configuration type. Configuration types arise when one classifies the Hilbert functions and graded Betti numbers for fat point subschemes supported at $n\le8$ essentially distinct points of the projective plane. Each type gives rise to a surface $X$ obtained by blowing up the points. We classify those types such that $n=6$ and $-K_X$ is nef. The surfaces obtained are precisely the desingularizations of the normal cubic surfaces. By classifying configuration types we recover in all characteristics the classification of normal cubic surfaces, which is well-known in characteristic 0 \cite{refBW}. As an application of our classification of configuration types, we obtain a numerical procedure for determining the Hilbert function and graded Betti numbers for the ideal of any fat point subscheme $Z=m_1p_1+...+m_6p_6$ such that the points $p_i$ are essentially distinct and $-K_X$ is nef, given only the configuration type of the points $p_1,...,p_6$ and the coefficients $m_i$.

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arXiv2012

Star configurations in $\mathbb P^n$

Star configurations are certain unions of linear subspaces of projective space. They have appeared in several different contexts: the study of extremal Hilbert functions for fat point schemes in the plane; the study of secant varieties of some classical algebraic varieties; the study of the resurgence of projective schemes. In this paper we study some algebraic properties of the ideals defining star configurations, including getting partial results about Hilbert functions, generators and minimal free resolutions of the ideals and their symbolic powers. We also show that their symbolic powers define arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay subschemes and we obtain results about the primary decompositions of the powers of the ideals. As an application, we compute the resurgence for the ideal of the codimension $n-1$ star configuration in $\pr{n}$ in the monomial case (i.e., when the number of hyperplanes is $n+1$).

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arXiv2012

Variations on Nagata's Conjecture

In this paper we discuss some variations of Nagata's conjecture on linear systems of plane curves. The most relevant concerns non-effectivity (hence nefness) of certain rays, which we call \emph{good rays}, in the Mori cone of the blow-up $X_n$ of the plane at $n\ge 10$ general points. Nagata's original result was the existence of a good ray for $X_n$ with $n\ge 16$ a square number. Using degenerations, we give examples of good rays for $X_n$ for all $n\ge 10$. As with Nagata's original result, this implies the existence of counterexamples to Hilbert's XIV problem. Finally we show that Nagata's conjecture for $n\le 89$ combined with a stronger conjecture for $n=10$ implies Nagata's conjecture for $n\ge 90$.

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arXiv2011

Negative curves on algebraic surfaces

We study curves of negative self-intersection on algebraic surfaces. We obtain results for smooth complex projective surfaces X on the number of reduced, irreducible curves C of negative self-intersection C^2. The only known examples of surfaces for which C^2 is not bounded below are in positive characteristic, and the general expectation is that no examples can arise over the complex numbers. Indeed, we show that the idea underlying the examples in positive characteristic cannot produce examples over the complex number field. The previous version of this paper claimed to give a counterexample to the Bounded Negativity Conjecture. The idea of the counterexample was to use Hecke translates of a smooth Shimura curve in order to create an infinite sequence of curves violating the Bounded Negativity Conjecture. To this end we applied Hirzebruch Proportionality to all Hecke translates, simultaneously desingularized by a version of Jaffee's Lemma which exists in the literature but which turns out to be false. Indeed, in the new version of the paper, we show that only finitely many Hecke translates of a special subvariety of a Hilbert modular surface remain smooth. This new result is based on work done jointly with Xavier Roulleau, who has been added as an author. The other results in the original posting of this paper remain unchanged.

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arXiv2011

Hilbert functions of fat point subschemes of the plane: the two-fold way

Two approaches for determining Hilbert functions of fat point subschemes of $\mathbb P^2$ are demonstrated. A complete determination of the Hilbert functions which occur for 9 double points is given using the first approach, extending results obtained in a previous paper using the second approach. In addition the second approach is used to obtain a complete determination of the Hilbert functions for $n\geq 9$ $m$-multiple points for every $m$ if the points are smooth points of an irreducible plane cubic curve. Additional results are obtained using the first approach for $n\geq 9$ double points when the points lie on an irreducible cubic (but now are not assumed to be smooth points of the cubic).

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arXiv2010

Classifying Hilbert functions of fat point subschemes in $\mathbb P^2$

A recent paper by the first and third authors together with Sabourin raised the question of what the possible Hilbert functions are for fat point subschemes of the form $2p_1+...+2p_r$, for all possible choices of $r$ distinct points in the projective plane. We study this problem for $r$ points in the plane over an algebraically closed field $k$ of arbitrary characteristic in case either $r \le 8$ or the points lie on a (possibly reducible) conic. In either case, it follows from work of the second author that there are only finitely many configuration types of points, where our notion of configuration type is a generalization of the notion of a representable combinatorial geometry, also known as a representable simple matroid. (We say $p_1,...,p_r$ and $p'_1,...,p'_r$ have the same {\it configuration type} if for all choices of nonnegative integers $m_i$, $Z=m_1p_1+...+m_rp_r$ and $Z'=m_1p'_1+...+m_rp'_r$ have the same Hilbert function.) Assuming either that $7 \le r\le 8$ (see recent work of Guardo and the second author for the cases $r\le 6$) or that the points $p_i$ lie on a conic, we explicitly determine all the configuration types, and show how the configuration type and the coefficients $m_i$ determine (in an explicitly computable way) the Hilbert function (and sometimes the graded Betti numbers) of $Z=m_1p_1+...+m_rp_r$. We demonstrate our results by explicitly listing all Hilbert functions for schemes of $r\le 8$ double points, and for each Hilbert function we state precisely how the points must be arranged (in terms of the configuration type) to obtain that Hilbert function.

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arXiv2007

Computing multi-point Seshadri constants on P2

Working over the complex field and formalizing and sharpening approaches introduced by several authors, we give a method for verifying when a divisor on a blow up of P^2 at general points is nef. The method is useful both theoretically and when doing computer computations. The main application is to obtain significantly improved explicit lower bounds for multipoint Seshadri constants on P^2.

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