Generalized Mukai conjecture for special Fano varieties (Q1767463)

A Fano variety \(X\) is a projective variety with ample anti-canonical bundle \(-K_X\). For such varieties, the Picard number \(\rho\) is strictly related to the geometry of rational curves on \(X\). Namely, defining the pseudo-index as \(i:=\min\{m: -K_X\cdot C=m\) for some rational curve \(C\subset X\}\), it has been conjectured that \( \rho\leq {\dim X}/(i-1)\) and equality implies that \(X\) is a product of projective spaces. The conjecture has been proved by \textit{J. A. Wisniewski} [Manuscr. Math. 68, 135-141 (1990; Zbl 0715.14033)], when \(i>(\dim X+2)/2\), and by \textit{L. Bonavero, C. Casagrande, O. Debarre} and \textit{S. Druel} [Comment. Math. Helv. 78, No.3, 601--626 (2003; Zbl 1044.14019)], for varieties of dimension \(4\). In the paper under review, the authors prove that the conjecture holds for \(i\geq (\dim X+3)/3\), provided that \(X\) admits an unsplit covering family of rational curves, i.e. a proper component of the space of rational curves Hom\(^n_{\text{bir}}(\mathbb P^1,X)\) mod Aut(\(\mathbb P^1\)), which dominates \(X\). Using a careful analysis of split and unsplit families of rational curves on \(X\), the authors are then able to prove the conjecture for Fano varieties of dimension \(5\).