Variations of Hodge structure and zero cycles on general surfaces (Q1327095)

Let \(\pi : {\mathcal S} \to B\) be a family of algebraic surfaces and \(Z \subset {\mathcal S}\) an algebraic cycle of codimension two, whose intersection with each fibre of \(\pi\) has degree zero. Let \({\mathcal H}^{p,q} = R^q \pi_* \Omega^p_{{\mathcal S}/B}\). The Gauss-Manin connection of the family induces a map \(\overline \nabla_2 : {\mathcal H}^{1,1} \otimes \Omega^1_B \to {\mathcal H}^{0,2} \otimes \Omega^2_B\). The author defines an element \(\delta Z \in H^0 (B, {\mathcal H}^{0,2} \otimes \Omega^2_B/ \text{Im} \overline \nabla_2)\). The main result of the paper says that if \(Z_b\) is rationally equivalent to zero for all \(b \in B\) and \(\overline \nabla_2\) has constant rank, then \(\delta Z = 0\). This generalizes a criterion of Mumford, who treated the case of a product family. The paper contains two important applications of this theorem. If \(d \geq 5\) and \(S \subset \mathbb{P}^3\) is a general surface of degree \(d\) and \(j : C \hookrightarrow S\) is the inclusion of a general plane section of \(S\), then the map \(j_* : JC \to \text{CH}^0_0 (S)\) has as its kernel the torsion subgroup of \(JC\). Moreover, if \(d \geq 6\), then for all \(p \in S\), there exists at most a finite number of points \(q \in S\) which are rationally equivalent to \(p\). This number is bounded independently from \(p\) and \(S\). If \(d \geq 7\), then \(p\) and \(q\) can only be rationally equivalent if \(p = q\). The proofs rely on the description of the cohomology of hypersurfaces in terms of the Jacobian ring and on a clever use of Donagi's symmetrizer lemma.