Defect series and nonrational Hilbert modular threefolds (Q1337541)

The defect series are determined for two distinct two-parameter families of cusps arising from totally real cubic number fields. Specifically, let \(K_{r,s}= \mathbb{Q}(\alpha)\) be the totally real cubic number field generated by \(\alpha\) a root of \(\varphi_{r,s}(x)= x(x-r) (x-s)-1\) for \(2\leq r\leq s-2\). Let \(M_{r,s}= \mathbb{Z}[\alpha]\) and let \(U^ +_{r,s} (U^ 2_{r,s})\) denote the group of totally positive units (squares of units) in \(M_{r,s}\). The pairs \((M_{r,s}, U^ +_{r,s})\) and \((M_{r,s}, U^ 2_{r,s})\) determine two normal complex spaces each with one cusp. The defect series are computed for each of these cusps. As an application, these results are used to estimate the plurigenera of certain Hilbert modular threefolds. When the class number of \(K_{r,s}\) is one and \(M_{r,s}\) is the full ring of algebraic integers, \(\Gamma_{K_{r,s}} \setminus{\mathcal H}^ 3\) has a single cusp of type \((M_{r,s}, U^ 2_{r,s})\). The defects of these cusps can then be used to compute bounds on the size of the plurigenera of Hilbert modular varieties over these fields. Bounds are computed for plurigenera of the varieties over each of \(K_{2,4}\), \(K_{2,5}\), \(K_{3,5}\) and are used to prove that the Hilbert modular threefolds over \(K_{2,5}\) and \(K_{3,5}\) are not rational. This provides two new examples of Hilbert modular threefolds with arithmetic genus equal to one that are not rational. Previously, only one example was known.