On a connectedness principle of Shokurov-Kollár type (Q1729954)

This article concerns the following connectedness conjecture of Shokurov-Kollár type: Let \((X.\Delta)\) be a log pair and \(\pi:X\rightarrow S\) be a proper morphism with connected fibers such that \(-(K_X+\Delta)\) is \(\pi\)-nef. For any point \(s\in S\), the set \(N_s:=\pi^{-1}(s)\cap\mathrm{Nklt}(X,\Delta)\) has at most two connected components. In the above setup, if further assume that \(-(K_X+\Delta)\) is \(\pi\)-nef and \(\pi\)-big, then the Shokurov-Kollár connectedness lemma asserts that \(N_s\) is connected for each \(s\in S\), which follows from the Kawamata-Viehweg vanishing theorem and is used in the proof of the inversion of subadjunction. When \((X,\Delta)\) is dlt and \(K_X+\Delta\equiv_\pi0\), the above conjecture is proved in [\textit{J. Kollár} and \textit{S. J. Kovács}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 23, No. 3, 791--813 (2010; Zbl 1202.14003)], which is then applied to the study of log canonical singularities. Note that when \((X,\Delta)\) is dlt and if \(-(K_X+\Delta)\) being \(\pi\)-nef implies \(\pi\)-semiampleness, then the conjecture holds from the work of Kollár-Kovács (ibid). But this abundance statement actually fails due to an example of a plt pair in dimension three in [\textit{Y. Gongyo}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 665, 237--252 (2012; Zbl 1243.14018)]. Hence a proof of this conjecture is non-trivial. The main contribution of the authors is a proof of this general connectedness conjecture, modulo the conjectural termination of klt flips. The argument depends on the construction of a special minimal model program, which is known to terminate in dimension no more than four by the work of [\textit{V. Alexeev} et al., Invent. Math. 168, No. 2, 433--448 (2007; Zbl 1118.14017)]. Hence this connectedness conjecture holds in dimension no more than four. Finally, it is noted by the authors that it would be interesting to prove this conjecture along with other results in this note without assuming the termination of flips, and to generalize these results to the setting of generalized polarized pairs.