On limiting rational curves (Q1344910)

This paper is devoted to the study of rational curves and their limits in degenerations of hypersurfaces in \(\mathbb{P}^n\). Let \({\mathcal H}_m\) be the Hilbert scheme of rational curves of degree \(m\) in \(\mathbb{P}^n\) and let, for any hypersurface \(X\subseteq \mathbb{P}^n\), \(F_X \subseteq {\mathcal H}_m\) be the scheme of rational curves of degree \(m\) contained in \(X\). Consider the projections: \({\mathcal H}_m @< q << \mathbb{P}^n \times {\mathcal H}_m @> p >> \mathbb{P}^n\) and then let \(V_m (d)= q_* ({\mathcal O}_{\mathcal C} \otimes p^* ({\mathcal O}_{\mathbb{P}^n} (d))\), where \({\mathcal C}= \{(x, C)\mid x\in C\} \subseteq \mathbb{P}^n \times {\mathcal H}_m\). Let \({\mathcal R}_X= \{c (V_m (d)) \cap s(F_X, {\mathcal H}_m )\}_r\) where \(c(V_m (d))\) is the Chern class of \(V_m (d)\), \(s(F_X, {\mathcal H}_m)\) is the Segre class of \(F_X\) in \({\mathcal H}_m\) and \(r= \dim {\mathcal H}_m- \text{rank} (V_m (d))\). It is known that the image of \({\mathcal R}_X\) in the Chow group of \({\mathcal H}_m\) is independent of \(X\) and that (under some mild condition on \(C\)), \(F_X\) has codimension \(md+1\) in \({\mathcal H}_m\) and its class in the Chow group is given by \({\mathcal R}_X\); moreover, for all \(X\) such that \(\text{codim } F_X< md+ 1\), we have \({\mathcal R}_X= F_{\lim}\), where \(F_{\lim}\) is the class of limiting rational curves in \(X\) with respect to a general deformation. In the paper \({\mathcal R}_X\) is computed in the case of degenerations of \(X\) to the normal crossing of two hypersurfaces; examples are given in the case of conics.