Asymptotic base loci via Okounkov bodies (Q1682015)

Let \(X\) be a smooth complex projective variety of dimension \(n\) and an admissible flag \(Y_{\bullet}\) on it, that is a sequence of irreducible subvarieties \(Y_i \subset X\) of codimension \(i\) on \(X\) smooth at \(x \in X\) such that \(\{x\}=Y_n \subset Y_{n-1} \subset \dots \subset Y_0=X\). For a big divisor \(D\) one can define a convex set in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), the so called \textit{Okounkov body} \(\Delta_{Y_{\bullet}}(D)\), encoding several properties of the linear system \(|D|\). The construction of this body works like this: (possibly replacing \(X\) by an open subset) each \(Y_{i+1}\) is a Cartier divisor on \(Y_i\), so that one can compute for \(D' \in |D|\), \(v_1(D')\) as the order of vanishing of \(D\) along \(Y_1\) and recursively \(v_{2}(D')\) as the order of vanishing of \((D'-v_1(D')Y_1)|_{Y_1}\) along \(Y_2\) and so on (details of the construction in Section 3); this leads to a function \(v_{Y_{\bullet}}:|D| \to \mathbb{R}^n\) and \(\Delta_{Y_{\bullet}}(D)\) is the closure of the convex hull of its image. If \(D\) is just pseudoeffective one can replace \(D\) by \(D+\epsilon A\), \(A\) ample, and define the limiting Okounkov body as the intersection on \(\epsilon\) of the bodies \(\Delta_{Y_{\bullet}}(D+\epsilon A)\). The main goal of the paper under review is to extract asymptotic base loci of \(|D|\) from these limiting Okounkov bodies. To be precise, in Theorem A, \(x\) belonging to the restricted base locus of \(D\) is characterized by the fact that the origin is not contained in the limiting Okounkov body of \(D\) along some (in fact any) flag centered at \(x\). This produces, as a corollary, a characterization of the nefness of \(D\), since nefness is equivalent to the emptiness of the restricted base locus. An analogous result is presented in Theorem C for the augmented base locus of \(D\), and consequently a characterization of the ampleness of \(D\). Moreover, see Theorem E, bounds for the moving Seshadri constants of \(D\) are provided by analizing the structure of the limiting Okounkov bodies.