On Calabi-Yau generalized complete intersections from Hirzebruch varieties and novel \(K3\)-fibrations (Q1800433)

The paper under review takes on the study of generalized complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds introduced in [\textit{L. B. Anderson} et al., Nucl. Phys., B 906, 441--496 (2016; Zbl 1334.14023)]. It identifies additional sequences of distinct threefolds, many of which endowed with fibrations into \(K3\) surfaces, and investigates their cohomology. This promises to be a fruitful testing ground for mathematical and physical properties of mirror symmetry, or generally of string theory and its M-theory and F-theory extensions. The threefolds are realized in some auxiliary fourfolds resembling Hirzebruch surfaces (also in the sense that they tend not to be Fano). An extensive appendix collects properties of these fourfolds and many examples of the resulting threefolds. A rigorous scheme-theoretic formulation of generalized complete intersection varieties, regardless of their birational type, e.g. being Calabi-Yau, has been subsequently given in [\textit{A. Garbagnati} and \textit{B. van Geemen}, Nucl. Phys., B 925, 135--143 (2017; Zbl 1375.81198)].