Generic hypersurface singularities (Q1130346)

The paper is devoted to give a proof of the following result: ``Let \(x_1,\dots,x_r\) be closed points in general position in the projective space \(\mathbb{P}^n\) over an algebraically closed field, and let \(d \geq 5\). Then the vector subspace \(V_d\) of \(H^0 (\mathbb{P}^n, {\mathcal O}(d))\) of homogeneous polynomials of degree \(d\) on \(\mathbb{P}^n\) having singularities at each \(x_i\) has dimension \(\max( 0, h^0({\mathcal O}(d))-r(n+1))\) (which is the expected dimension).'' The result was first proved by \textit{J. Alexander} [Compos. Math. 68, No. 3, 305-354 (1988; Zbl 0675.14025)]. In the paper under review a simplified proof is given. The authors consider the closed subscheme \(Y\) of \(\mathbb{P}^n\) determined by the union of the first infinitesimal neighbourhoods of the \(x_i\) (\(i=1,\dots,r\)) so that \(V_d=H^0(\mathbb{P}^n, {\mathcal J}_Y(d))\) where \({\mathcal J}_Y\) is the ideal sheaf of \(Y\) in \(\mathbb{P}^n\), and \(V_d\) has the expected dimension if and only if the canonical map \[ {H^0(\mathbb{P}^n,{\mathcal O}(d))}\to {H^0(\mathbb{P}^n,{\mathcal O}_Y(d))} \] has maximal rank. They also introduce closed subschemes \(Y_{n,d}\) of \(\mathbb{P}^n\) determined by the union of the first infinitesimal neighbourhoods of some points in \(\mathbb{P}^n\), in such a way that there exists a unique \(\delta \geq 0\) such that \(Y_{n,\delta} \subset Y \subset Y_{n,\delta +1}\). The first step in the proof is to reduce the problem to prove the following: ``For \(d \geq 5\), \(Y_{n,d}\) is adjusted in \(\mathbb{P}^n\) in degree \(d\), i.e. \(h^i(\mathbb{P}^n, {\mathcal J}_Y(d))=0\) for \(i \geq 0\).'' In order to prove this last statement, the authors argue by induction on \(n\) and \(d\), showing that the sentence ``a closed subscheme \(Z\) of \(\mathbb{P}^n\) is adjusted in \(\mathbb{P}^n\) in degree \(d\)'' is equivalent to two similar statements , one in lower degree and the other in lower dimension. Some techniques developed by the authors earlier [\textit{J. Alexander} and \textit{A. Hirschowitz}, J. Algebr. Geom. 1, No. 3, 411-426 (1992; Zbl 0784.14001)and J. Algebr. Geom. 4, No. 2, 201-222 (1995; Zbl 0829.14002)] are applied to complete the proof.