Singularities of low degree complete intersections (Q1692607)

Log canonical singularities is expected to be the largest class of singularities for the minimal model conjecture to hold. Typical examples of a log canonical singularity is the vertex of the projective cone over a smooth hypersurface of degree \(d\leq n+1\) in \(\mathbb{P}^n\). In this article, the author provides a generalization of the previous example for complete intersections to have log canonical singularities: Let \(X\subseteq\mathbb{P}^N\) be an irreducible complete intersection of multidegree \((d_1,\dots, d_r)\). If \(\dim\text{Sing}(X)\leq N-\sum_id_i\), then \(X\) is log canonical. Indeed, this condition is sharp, cf. Theorem 1.4 (ii). The proof utilize the theory of Du Bois singularities, since a normal Gorenstein singularity is log canonical iff it is Du Bois. The advantage is that for complete varieties to be Du Bois, instead of going back to the original local definition via Du Bois complex, one can simply check it cohomologically (numerically Du Bois), cf. Theorem 2.3. The proof of theorem then follows easily by a cohomology computation.