On the locus of points of high rank (Q1746622)

Let \(X\subset \mathbb{P}^n\) be a projective variety. For a point \(P\in \mathbb{P}^n\), the rank of \(P\) with respect to \(X\), or \(X\)-rank, is the minimum \(r\) for which there exist distinct points \(P_1,\dots,P_r\in X\) with \(P\in <P_1,\dots,P_r>\). Let \(W_k\) be the set of points of \(X\)-rank \(\leq r\); when we work over \(\mathbb{C}\), there is a generic rank \(g\), the minimum value for which the Zariski closure of \(W_g\) fills up the space. For \(k=1,\dots,g\) we have \(W_k = \sigma_k(X)\), i.e. \(W_k\) is a higher secant variety of \(X\) (the closure of the union of all the \(k\)-secant \((k-1)\)-planes of \(X\)). This work deals with the study of \(W_k\) for \(k>g\), and with the problem of determining the maximum value \(m\) for the \(X\)-rank of points in \(\mathbb{P}^n\). Several results for the varieties \(W_k\) are obtained in the paper, e.g. we it is proved that \(W_m \subset W_{m-1} \subset \dots \subset W_g\); that codim \(W_{g+k} \geq 2k-1\) and that \(m\leq 2g-1\) for homogeneous varieties. Other particular results are obtained when \(X\) is a curve, a Veronese variety or the Segre embedding of \(\mathbb{P}^1\times\mathbb{P}^3\times\mathbb{P}^3\).