\(K\)-theory, LQEL manifolds and Severi varieties (Q2509849)

This paper gives a \(K\)-theoretic proof of the two following results of complex irreducible smooth projective varieties \(Y \subset \mathbb{P}^N\), concerning respectively the secant variety the dual variety. 1) Let \(z \in \mathbb{P}^N \setminus Y\) be a point in the secant variety of \(Y\). The entry locus of \(Y\) with respect to \(z\) consists of points \(y\) in \(Y\) such that the line passing through \(y\) and \(z\) is a tangent or a secant line of \(Y\). Similarly, for any point \(z\) in the tangent variety of \(Y\) not in \(Y\), one defines the tangent locus of \(Y\) with respect to \(z\) to be the set of points \(y\) in \(Y\) whose tangent space contains \(z\). Under the assumption that each irreducible component of a general entry locus of \(Y\) is a smooth quadric (such a \(Y\) is called a LQEL manifold) and that the secant deficiency \(\delta\) of \(Y\) is nonzero, the author showed that \(2(\dim Y\setminus\delta)\) is divisible by \(1 + \mathcal{O}_F(1)\) in the topological \(K\)-group of \(F\) where \(F\) is any irreducible component of a general tangent locus of \(Y\). Using this result and the explicit ring structure of the topological \(K\)-theory of smooth quadrics computed in the Appendix, one obtains Russo's divisibility property for LQEL manifolds, namely \(\dim Y-\delta\) is divisible by \(2^{\frac{\delta-1}{2}}\) if \(Y\) is LQEL. In particular, it implies that if \(Y\) is a Severi variety, then \(\dim Y \in \{2,4,8,16\}\), which is originally due to \textit{F. L. Zak} [Tangents and secants of algebraic varieties. Translations of mathematical monographs, Vol. 127. Providence, RH: American Mathematical Society (1993; Zbl 0795.14018)]. 2) Let \(Y^*\) denote the dual variety of \(Y\) and \(\Phi\) the total space of the projectivization of the conormal bundle of \(Y\) in \(\mathbb{P}^N\) twisted by \(\mathcal{O}_Y(1)\), viewed as a correspondence between \(Y\) and \(Y^*\). The pullback of \(H \in Y^*\) under \(\Phi^{-1}\) is called the contact locus and is denoted by \(C_H(Y) = C\), which is a linear space of dimension equals to the dual deficiency \(k\) of \(Y\) for general \(H \in Y^*\). The author shows that if \(k\) is nonzero, then \[ N_{C/Y} = N^\vee_{C/Y}(1) \] in \(K(C_H(Y))\) for general \(H\). As a corollary, one concludes that \(\dim Y - k\) is an even number, which is known as the Laudman parity theorem.