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Robert Lazarsfeld

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Lazarsfeld.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2002

Uniform Approximation of Abhyankar Valuation Ideals in Smooth Function Fields

In this paper we use the theory of multiplier ideals to show that the valuation ideals of a rank one Abhyankar valuation centered at a smooth point of a complex algebraic variety are approximated, in a quite strong sense, by sequences of powers of fixed ideals. Fix a rank one valuation v centered at a smooth point x on an algebraic variety over a field of characteristic zero. Assume that v is Abhyankar, that is, that its rational rank plus its transcendence degree equal the dimension of the variety. Let a_m denote the ideal of elements in the local ring of x whose valuations are at least m. Our main theorem is that there exists e>0 such that a_{mn} is contained in (a_{m-e})^n for all m and n. This can be viewed as a greatly strengthened form of Izumi's Theorem for Abhyankar valuations centered on smooth complex varieties.

math.AG↗
arXiv2000

Uniform Bounds and Symbolic Powers on Smooth Varieties

We show how multiplier ideals can be used to obtain uniform multiplicative bounds for certain families of ideals on a smooth complex algebraic variety. In particular we prove a quick but rather surprising result about symbolic powers of radical ideals on such a variety. Specifically, let I be a radical ideal sheaf on a smooth variety X defining a reduced subscheme Z of X and suppose that every irreducible component of Z has codimension at most e in X. Given an integer m > 0 suppose that f is a function germ that vanishes to order at least e.m at a general point of each irreducible component of Z . Then in fact f lies in the m-th power I^m of I.

math.AG↗
arXiv2000

Positivity and complexity of ideal sheaves

The problem of bounding the "complexity" of a polynomial ideal in terms of the degrees of its generators has attracted considerable interest, brought into focus by the influential survey of Bayer and Mumford. The present paper examines some of these results and questions from a geometric perspective. Specifically, motivated by work of Paoletti we introduce an invariant s(I) that measures the "positivity" of an ideal sheaf I. Degree bounds on generators of I yield bounds on this s-invariant, but s(I) may be small even when the degrees of its generators are large. We prove that s(I) computes the asymptotic Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of large powers of I, and bounds the asymptotic behavior of several other measures of complexity. We also show that this s-invariant behaves very well with respect to natural geometric and algebraic operations, which leads to considerably simplified constructions of varieties with irrational asymptotic regularity. The main tools are intersection theory and vanishing theorems.

math.AG↗
arXiv2000

A Subadditivity Property of Multiplier Ideals

Given an effective Q-divisor D on a smooth complex variety, one can associate to D its multiplier ideal sheaf J(D), which measures in a somewhat subtle way the singularities of D. Because of their strong vanishing properties, these ideals have come to play an increasingly important role in higher dimensional geometry. We prove that for two effective Q-divisors D and E, one has the "subadditivity" relation: J(D + E) \subseteq J(D) . J(E) . (We also establish several natural variants, including the analogous statement for the analytic multiplier ideals associated to plurisubharmonic functions.) As an application, we give a new proof of a theorem of Fujita concerning the volume of a big linear series on a projective variety. The first section of the paper contains an overview of the construction and basic properties of multiplier ideals from an algebro-geometric perspective, as well as a discussion of the relation between some asymptotic algebraic constructions and their analytic counterparts.

math.AG↗
arXiv1999

A Geometric Effective Nullstellensatz

We present in this paper a geometric theorem which clarifies and extends in several directions work of Brownawell, Kollar and others on the effective Nullstellensatz. To begin with, we work on an arbitrary smooth complex projective variety X, with previous results corresponding to the case when X is projective space. In this setting we prove a local effective Nullstellensatz for ideal sheaves, and a corresponding global division theorem for adjoint-type bundles. We also make explicit the connection with the intersection theory of Fulton and MacPherson. Finally, constructions involving products of prime ideals that appear in earlier work are replaced by geometrically more natural conditions involving order of vanishing along subvarieties. The main technical inputs are vanishing theorems, which are used to give a simple algebro-geometric proof of a theorem of Skoda type, which may be of independent interest.

math.AG↗
arXiv1996

Lengths of Periods and Seshadri Constants of Abelian Varieties

The purpose of this note is to point out an elementary but somewhat surprising connection between the work of Buser and Sarnak on lengths of periods of abelian varieties and the Seshadri constants measuring the local positivity of theta divisors. The link is established via symplectic blowing up, in the spirit of McDuff and Polterovich. As an application of the main inequality, we get a simple new proof of a statement of Buser-Sarnak type to the effect that the Jacobian of a curve has a period of unusually small length. We also deduce a lower bound on the Seshadri constant of a very general p.p.a.v. which differs from the maximum possible by a factor of less than four.

alg-geom↗
arXiv1996

Singularities of Theta Divisors, and the Birational Geometry of Irregular Varieties

The purpose of this paper is to show how the generic vanishing theorems of M. Green and the second author can be used to settle several questions and conjectures concerning the geometry of irregular complex projective varieties. First, we prove a conjecture of Arbarello and DeConcini characterizing principally polarized abelian varieties whose theta divisors are singular in codimension one. Secondly, we study the holomorphic Euler characteristics of varieties of general type having maximal Albanese dimension: we verify a conjecture of Kollar for subvarieties of abelian varieties, but show that it fails in general. Finally, we give a surprisingly simple new proof of a fundamental theorem of Kawamata concerning the Albanese mapping of projective varieties of Kodaira dimension zero.

alg-geom↗
arXiv1995

A Non-Linear Deformation of the Hitchin Dynamical System

Mukai's space, parametrizing simple sheaves on a K3 surface S whose numerical invariants are those of a line bundle on a curve C in S, is interpreted as a deformation of Hitchin's system on C. This is used to show that the nilpotent cone in Mukai space is Lagrangian. In rank 2, components of this nilpotent cone are described as affine bundles over symmetric products of the curve. The underlying vector bundles give the corresponding components of the Hitchin nilpotent cone.

alg-geom↗
arXiv1994

Lectures on Linear Series

The past decade has witnessed two important new developments in the study of linear series on algebraic varieties. First, vector bundles have emerged as powerful tools for analyzing linear series on curves and surfaces. More recently, the viewpoints and techniques of higher dimensional geometry have started to play a central role. The purpose of these lectures is to provide a down-to-earth introduction to some of these new ideas and methods. The present notes, written with the assistance of G. Fernandez del Busto, are a considerably expanded version of a course given at the 1993 Regional Geometry Institute on Higher Dimensional Complex Geometry at Park City, Utah. While I hope they may be of interest to any geometers wishing to learn about recent work on linear series, I have particularly attempted to aim the discusion at a novice audience. My hope is that with a little faith and effort, these notes should be accessible to anyone having finished the standard introductory texts in algebraic geometry. The underlying theme of the lectures is the search for higher dimensional generalizations of the most basic facts about linear series on curves. But in an attempt to keep things elementary we work more or less exclusively on surfaces. Thus we end up discussing one central result -- viz. Reider's theorem -- from many points of view. Sticking to the case of surfaces allows one to eliminate many technical complexities, and I hope that parts of these lectures might therefore serve as a useful first introduction to the powerful cohomological techniques (involving $Q$-divisors) of contemporary

alg-geom↗
arXiv1994

Local Positivity of Ample Line Bundles

Let $L$ be a nef line bundle on a smooth complex projective variety $X$ of dimension $n$. Demailly has introduced a very interesting invariant --- the Seshadri constant $ε(L,x)$ --- which in effect measures how positive $L$ is locally near a given point $x \in X$. For instance, Seshadri's criterion for ampleness may be phrased as stating that $L$ is ample if and only if there exists a positive number $e > 0$ such that $ε(L,x) > e$ for all $x \in X$, and if $L$ is VERY ample, then $ε(L,x) \ge 1$ for every $x$. We prove the somewhat surprising result that in each dimension $n$ there is a uniform lower bound on the Seshadri constant of an ample line bundle $L$ at a very general point of $X$. Specifically, $ε(L,x) \ge (1/n) $ for all $x \in X$ outside the union of countably many proper subvarieties of $X$. Examples of Miranda show that there cannot exist a bound (independent of $X$ and $L$) that holds at every point. The proof draws inspiration from two sources: first, the arguments used to prove boundedness of Fano manifolds of Picard number one; and secondly some of the geometric ideas involving zero-estimates appearing in the work of Faltings and others on Diophantine approximation and transcendence theory. We give some elementary applications of the main theorem to adjoint and pluricanonical linear series.

alg-geom↗