Hodge type of subvarieties of \(\mathbb{P}^ n\) of small degrees (Q1814595)

It was conjectured by P. Deligne and A. Dimca that the Hodge type of a subvariety \(S\) of \(\mathbb{P}^ n\) given by \(r\) equations of degrees \(d_ i\), \(d_ 1\geq\sup\{d_ i\}\) is at least the integral part of \(n-d_ 2/d_ 1-\cdots-d_ r/d_ 1\). Deligne and Dimca proved this for \(r=1\). On the other hand the above conjecture had been proved for \(S\) a smooth complete intersection by \textit{P. Deligne} in Sém. Géom. algébrique, SGA 7 II, Lect. Notes Math. 340, Exposé XI, 39-61 (1973; Zbl 0265.14007)]. The idea of the present paper is to reduce the conjecture to a certain vanishing theorem which is then proved in the case \(S\) is an arbitrary complete intersection.