arXiv subjects

Harold Blum

Publications and source records attributed to Harold Blum.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Valuative independence for Calabi--Yau varieties

We construct valuatively independent bases for the space of sections of an ample line bundle on a log Calabi--Yau pair over a discretely valued field and the space of regular functions on an affine CY pair with maximal boundary. While the bases are not in general unique, they induce canonical functions on the respective skeletons and are expected to agree with tropicalizations of theta functions when they exist. The proof uses techniques from the study of higher rank degenerations in K-stability.

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arXiv2025

Relative stability theory and properness of K-moduli spaces

We define the relative stability threshold of a family of Fano varieties over a DVR and show that it is computed by a divisorial valuation. In the case when the special fiber is K-unstable, but the generic fiber is K-semistable, we use the divisorial valuation computing the threshold to replace the special fiber by a new one with a strictly larger stability threshold. Iterating this process yields a new and more direct proof of the properness of the K-moduli space that uses only birational geometry arguments.

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arXiv2024

Good moduli spaces for boundary polarized Calabi-Yau surface pairs

We construct projective asymptotically good moduli spaces parametrizing boundary polarized CY surface pairs, which are projective slc Calabi-Yau pairs $(X,D)$ such that $D$ is ample and $X$ has dimension two. The moduli space provides a wall crossing between certain KSBA and K-moduli spaces and is the ample model of the Hodge line bundle. In the case of K3 surfaces with a non-symplectic automorphism, the moduli space gives a modular interpretation for the Baily--Borel compactification.

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arXiv2024

Convexity of multiplicities of filtrations on local rings

We prove that the multiplicity of a filtration of a local ring satisfies various convexity properties. In particular, we show the multiplicity is convex along geodesics. As a consequence, we prove that the volume of a valuation is log convex on simplices of quasi-monomial valuations and give a new proof of a theorem of Xu and Zhuang on the uniqueness of normalized volume minimizers. In another direction, we generalize a theorem of Rees on multiplicities of ideals to filtrations and characterize when the Minkowski inequality for filtrations is an equality under mild assumptions.

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arXiv2023

Moduli of boundary polarized Calabi-Yau pairs

We develop the moduli theory of boundary polarized CY pairs, which are slc Calabi-Yau pairs $(X,D)$ such that $D$ is ample. The motivation for studying this moduli problem is to construct a moduli space at the Calabi-Yau wall interpolating between certain K-moduli and KSBA moduli spaces. We prove that the moduli stack of boundary polarized CY pairs is S-complete, $Θ$-reductive, and satisfies the existence part of the valuative criterion for properness, which are steps towards constructing a proper moduli space. A key obstacle in this theory is that the irreducible components of the moduli stack are not in general of finite type. Despite this issue, in the case of pairs $(X,D)$ where $X$ is a degeneration of $\mathbb{P}^2$, we construct a projective moduli space on which the Hodge line bundle is ample. As a consequence, we complete the proof of a conjecture of Prokhorov and Shokurov in relative dimension two.

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arXiv2023

The existence of the Kähler-Ricci soliton degeneration

We prove an algebraic version of the Hamilton-Tian Conjecture for all log Fano pairs. More precisely, we show that any log Fano pair admits a canonical two-step degeneration to a reduced uniformly Ding stable triple, which admits a Kähler-Ricci soliton when the ground field $\mathbb{k}=\mathbb{C}$.

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arXiv2021

Openness of K-semistability for Fano varieties

In this paper, we prove the openness of K-semistability in families of log Fano pairs by showing that the stability threshold is a constructible function on the fibers. We also prove that any special test configuration arises from a log canonical place of a bounded complement and establish properties of any minimizer of the stability threshold.

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arXiv2021

On properness of K-moduli spaces and optimal degenerations of Fano varieties

We establish an algebraic approach to prove the properness of moduli spaces of K-polystable Fano varieties and reduce the problem to a conjecture on destabilizations of K-unstable Fano varieties. Specifically, we prove that if the stability threshold of every K-unstable Fano variety is computed by a divisorial valuation, then such K-moduli spaces are proper. The argument relies on studying certain optimal destabilizing test configurations and constructing a Theta-stratification on the moduli stack of Fano varieties.

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arXiv2021

Optimal destabilization of K-unstable Fano varieties via stability thresholds

We show that for a K-unstable Fano variety, any divisorial valuation computing its stability threshold induces a non-trivial special test configuration preserving the stability threshold. When such a divisorial valuation exists, we show that the Fano variety degenerates to a uniquely determined twisted K-polystable Fano variety. We also show that the stability threshold can be approximated by divisorial valuations induced by special test configurations. As an application of the above results and the analytic work of Datar, Székelyhidi, and Ross, we deduce that greatest Ricci lower bounds of Fano manifolds of fixed dimension form a finite set of rational numbers. As a key step in the proofs, we adapt the process of Li and Xu producing special test configurations to twisted K-stability in the sense of Dervan.

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arXiv2020

Reductivity of the automorphism group of K-polystable Fano varieties

We prove that K-polystable log Fano pairs have reductive automorphism groups. In fact, we deduce this statement by establishing more general results concerning the S-completeness and $Θ$-reductivity of the moduli of K-semistable log Fano pairs. Assuming the conjecture that K-semistability is an open condition, we prove that the Artin stack parametrizing K-semistable Fano varieties admits a separated good moduli space.

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arXiv2020

Openness of uniform K-stability in families of $\mathbb{Q}$-Fano varieties

We show that uniform K-stability is a Zariski open condition in Q-Gorenstein families of Q-Fano varieties. To prove this result, we consider the behavior of the stability threshold in families. The stability threshold (also known as the delta-invariant) is a recently introduced invariant that is known to detect the K-semistability and uniform K-stability of a Q-Fano variety. We show that the stability threshold is lower semicontinuous in families and provide an interpretation of the invariant in terms of the K-stability of log pairs.

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arXiv2020

Thresholds, valuations, and K-stability

Let X be a normal complex projective variety with at worst klt singularities, and L a big line bundle on X. We use valuations to study the log canonical threshold of L, as well as another invariant, the stability threshold. The latter generalizes a notion by Fujita and Odaka, and can be used to characterize when a Q-Fano variety is K-semistable or uniformly K-stable. It can also be used to generalize volume bounds due to Fujita and Liu. The two thresholds can be written as infima of certain functionals on the space of valuations on X. When L is ample, we prove that these infima are attained. In the toric case, toric valuations acheive these infima, and we obtain simple expressions for the two thresholds in terms of the moment polytope of L.

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arXiv2019

The normalized volume of a singularity is lower semicontinuous

We show that in any $\mathbb{Q}$-Gorenstein flat family of klt singularities, normalized volumes are lower semicontinuous with respect to the Zariski topology. A quick consequence is that smooth points have the largest normalized volume among all klt singularities. Using an alternative characterization of K-semistability developed by Li, Liu and Xu, we show that K-semistability is a very generic or empty condition in any $\mathbb{Q}$-Gorenstein flat family of log Fano pairs.

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arXiv2019

Uniqueness of K-polystable degenerations of Fano varieties

We prove that K-polystable degenerations of Q-Fano varieties are unique. Furthermore, we show that the moduli stack of K-stable Q-Fano varieties is separated. Together with [Jia17,BL18], the latter result yields a separated Deligne-Mumford stack parametrizing all uniformly K-stable Q-Fano varieties of fixed dimension and volume. The result also implies that the automorphism group of a K-stable Q-Fano variety is finite.

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arXiv2017

On divisors computing MLD's and LCT's

We show that if a divisor centered over a point on a smooth surface computes a minimal log discrepancy, then the divisor also computes a log canonical threshold. To prove the result, we study the asymptotic log canonical threshold of the graded sequence of ideals associated to a divisor over a variety. We systematically study this invariant and also prove a result describing which divisors compute asymptotic log canonical thresholds.

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arXiv2017

Existence of valuations with smallest normalized volume

Li introduced the normalized volume of a valuation due to its relation to K-semistability. He conjectured that over a klt singularity there exists a valuation with smallest normalized volume. We prove this conjecture and provide an example to show that such a valuation need not be divisorial.

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