arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Olivier Benoist.
Let $X$ be a smooth projective real algebraic variety. We give new positive and negative results on the problem of approximating a submanifold of the real locus of $X$ by real loci of subvarieties of $X$, as well as on the problem of determining the subgroups of the Chow groups of $X$ generated by subvarieties with nonsingular real loci, or with empty real loci.
A bad point of a positive semidefinite real polynomial f is a point at which a pole appears in all expressions of f as a sum of squares of rational functions. We show that quartic polynomials in three variables never have bad points. We give examples of positive semidefinite polynomials with a bad point at the origin, that are nevertheless sums of squares of formal power series, answering a question of Brumfiel. We also give an example of a positive semidefinite polynomial in three variables with a complex bad point that is not real, answering a question of Scheiderer.
This article introduces and studies the tight approximation property, a property of algebraic varieties defined over the function field of a complex or real curve that refines the weak approximation property (and the known cohomological obstructions to it) by incorporating an approximation condition in the Euclidean topology. We prove that the tight approximation property is a stable birational invariant, is compatible with fibrations, and satisfies descent under torsors of linear algebraic groups. Its validity for a number of rationally connected varieties follows. Some concrete consequences are: smooth loops in the real locus of a smooth compactification of a real linear algebraic group, or in a smooth cubic hypersurface of dimension at least 2, can be approximated by rational algebraic curves; homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups over the function field of a real curve satisfy weak approximation.
A cohomology class of a smooth complex variety of dimension $n$ has coniveau $\geq c$ if it vanishes in the complement of a closed subvariety of codimension $\geq c$, and has strong coniveau $\geq c$ if it comes by proper pushforward from the cohomology of a smooth variety of dimension $\leq n-c$. We show that these two notions differ in general, both for integral classes on smooth projective varieties and for rational classes on smooth open varieties.
We formulate the "real integral Hodge conjecture", a version of the integral Hodge conjecture for real varieties, and raise the question of its validity for cycles of dimension 1 on uniruled and Calabi-Yau threefolds and on rationally connected varieties. We relate it to the problem of determining the image of the Borel-Haefliger cycle class map for 1-cycles, with the problem of deciding whether a real variety with no real point contains a curve of even geometric genus and with the problem of computing the torsion of the Chow group of 1-cycles of real threefolds. New results about these problems are obtained along the way.
We use the Clemens-Griffiths method to construct smooth projective threefolds, over any field $k$ admitting a separable quadratic extension, that are $k$-unirational and $\bar{k}$-rational but not $k$-rational. When $k=\mathbb{R}$, we can moreover ensure that their real locus is diffeomorphic to the real locus of a smooth projective $\mathbb{R}$-rational variety and that all their unramified cohomology groups are trivial.
We give upper bounds for the level and the Pythagoras number of function fields over fraction fields of integral Henselian excellent local rings. In particular, we show that the Pythagoras number of $\mathbb{R}((x_1,\dots,x_n))$ is $\leq 2^{n-1}$, which answers positively a question of Choi, Dai, Lam and Reznick.
The moduli space of stable curves of Deligne and Mumford is a compactification of the moduli space of smooth curves of genus >=2 that parametrizes certain nodal curves. It is a powerful tool for the study of algebraic curves. Higher-dimensional analogues were constructed by Kollár, Shepherd-Barron and Alexeev in dimension 2, and by Viehweg in the case of smooth varieties. We will explain the recent ideas allowing for the construction of these moduli spaces in general, including the stable reduction theorem in higher dimension, which reflects their compactness. L'espace de modules des courbes stables de Deligne et Mumford est une compactification de l'espace de modules des courbes lisses de genre >=2, paramétrant certaines courbes nodales. C'est un outil puissant pour l'étude des courbes algébriques. Des analogues en dimension supérieure ont été construits par Kollár, Shepherd-Barron et Alexeev en dimension 2, et par Viehweg dans le cas des variétés lisses. Nous expliquerons les idées récentes ayant permis la construction de ces espaces de modules en général, notamment le théorème de réduction stable en dimension supérieure, qui reflète leur compacité.
We establish the real integral Hodge conjecture for 1-cycles on various classes of uniruled threefolds (conic bundles, Fano threefolds with no real point, some del Pezzo fibrations) and on conic bundles over higher-dimensional bases which themselves satisfy the real integral Hodge conjecture for 1-cycles. In addition, we show that rationally connected threefolds over non-archimedean real closed fields do not satisfy the real integral Hodge conjecture in general and that over such fields, Bröcker's EPT theorem remains true for simply connected surfaces of geometric genus zero but fails for some K3 surfaces.
We study when the period and the index of a class in the Brauer group of the function field of a real algebraic surface coincide. We prove that it is always the case if the surface has no real points (more generally, if the class vanishes in restriction to the real points of the locus where it is well-defined), and give a necessary and sufficient condition for unramified classes. As an application, we show that the u-invariant of the function field of a real algebraic surface is equal to 4, answering questions of Lang and Pfister. Our strategy relies on a new Hodge-theoretic approach to de Jong's period-index theorem on complex surfaces.
We construct the first non-trivial examples of complete families of non-degenerate smooth space curves, and show that the base of such a family cannot be a rational curve. Both results rely on the study of the strong semistability of certain vector bundles.
We prove that the product of an Enriques surface and a very general curve of genus at least 1 does not satisfy the integral Hodge conjecture for 1-cycles. This provides the first examples of smooth projective complex threefolds of Kodaira dimension zero for which the integral Hodge conjecture fails, and the first examples of non-algebraic torsion cohomology classes of degree 4 on smooth projective complex threefolds.
We show that the set of real polynomials in two variables that are sums of three squares of rational functions is dense in the set of those that are positive semidefinite. We also prove that the set of real surfaces in P^3 whose function field has level 2 is dense in the set of those that have no real points.
Artin solved Hilbert's 17th problem, proving that a real polynomial in $n$ variables that is positive semidefinite is a sum of squares of rational functions, and Pfister showed that only $2^n$ squares are needed. In this paper, we investigate situations where Pfister's theorem may be improved. We show that a real polynomial of degree $d$ in $n$ variables that is positive semidefinite is a sum of $2^n-1$ squares of rational functions if $d\leq 2n-2$. If $n$ is even, or equal to $3$ or $5$, this result also holds for $d=2n$.
We report on recent results concerning the construction of curves on K3 surfaces: the proof of the Tate conjecture for K3 surfaces in odd characteristic (after Maulik, Charles and Madapusi Pera), and the construction of infinitely many rational curves on many K3 surfaces (after Bogomolov-Hassett-Tschinkel and Li-Liedtke).
We prove that a normal variety contains finitely many maximal quasi-projective open subvarieties. As a corollary, we obtain the following generalization of the Chevalley-Kleiman projectivity criterion : a normal variety is quasi-projective if and only if every finite subset is contained in an affine open subvariety. The proof builds on a strategy of Wlodarczyk, using results of Boissiere, Gabber and Serman.
We show that the moduli stacks of smooth complete intersections in P^N polarized by O(1) are separated (except for quadrics) and Deligne-Mumford (apart from a few exceptions). ----- On montre que les champs de modules d'intersections completes lisses dans P^N polarisees par O(1) sont separes (sauf dans le cas des quadriques) et de Deligne-Mumford (sauf pour quelques exceptions).
For some values of the degrees of the equations, we show, using geometric invariant theory, that the coarse moduli space of smooth complete intersections in P^N is quasi-projective. ----- Pour certaines valeurs des degres des equations, on montre, a l'aide de theorie geometrique des invariants, que l'espace de modules grossier des intersections completes lisses dans P^N est quasi-projectif.