Points in projective spaces and applications (Q1014740)

The paper under review studies factoriality condition for nodal hypersurfaces \(V\) (of degree \(d\)) in \(\mathbb{P}^4\) and double covers \(X\) of \(\mathbb{P}^3\) branched in a nodal surface \(S\) (of degree \(2r\)). Let \(\Sigma\) be the singular locus of either \(V\) or \(X\) (the ground field is \(\mathbb{C}\)). Then it is known see, [\textit{R. Hartshorne}, Ample subvarieties of algebraic varieties. Notes written in collaboration with C. Musili. Lecture Notes in Mathematics. 156. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag. (1970; Zbl 0208.48901)] that \(V\) (respectively, \(X\)) is factorial (i.e., the Picard group \(\text{Pic}\) and the Weil divisor class group \(\text{Cl}\) coincide) if and only if \(\Sigma\) imposes independent linear conditions on homogeneous forms on \(\mathbb{P}^4\) (respectively, \(\mathbb{P}^3\)) of degree \(2d-5\) (respectively, \(3r-4\)). Furthermore, the author proves Theorem 1, which provides one with a combinatorial condition (in terms of degrees of hypersurfaces) for \(\Sigma\) to impose independent linear conditions. With these tools at hand, the author establishes factoriality of \(V\) (respectively, \(X\)) under the assumption \(|\Sigma|\leq \displaystyle\frac{2(d-1)^2}{3}\) (respectively, \(|\Sigma|<(2r-1)r\)), see Theorems 4 and 9. Note that the estimate for \(X\) is sharp (see Example 4). On the other hand, for \(V\) the expected (sharp) estimate is \(|\Sigma|<(d-1)^2\), which was proved later in [\textit{I. Cheltsov}, J. Algebr. Geom. 19, No. 4, 781--791 (2010; Zbl 1209.14034)]. In addition to Theorem 1, the author also establishes the result of Theorem 6, describing non-factorial \(X\) (\(S \subset \mathbb{P}^3\) must be given by equation of the form \(g_r^2(x,y,z,t)=g_1(x,y,z,t)g_{2r-1}(x,y,z,t)\)). Theorems 1 and 6 are proved in Sections 2 and 3, respectively, by virtuosic application of (synthetic) projective geometry arguments. Finally, the author treats (by the same arguments) the factoriality condition for nodal complete intersections in \(\mathbb{P}^5\) and double covers of smooth hypersurfaces in \(\mathbb{P}^4\), see Theorems 11, 12 and 13.