On the coniveau of rationally connected threefolds (Q2108749)

Let \(X\) be a complex projective manifold of dimension \(n\), and let \(\alpha\) be a cohomology class in the Betti cohomology with integral coefficients \(H^k(X, \mathbb Z) \simeq H_{2n-k}(X, \mathbb Z)\). The class \(\alpha\) has coniveau at least \(c\) if there exists an algebraic subset \(j: Y \hookrightarrow X\) of codimension \(c\) such that \(\alpha = j_* \beta\) for some \(\beta \in H_{2n-k}(Y, \mathbb Z)\). A result of Deligne shows that if \(\tau: Y' \rightarrow Y\) is a resolution of singularities, the image of \[ j_* : H_{2n-k}(Y, \mathbb Q) \rightarrow H_{2n-k}(X, \mathbb Q) \] coincides with the image of \[ (j \circ \tau)_* : H_{2n-k}(Y', \mathbb Q) \rightarrow H_{2n-k}(X, \mathbb Q), \] so for cohomology with rational coefficients the coniveau filtration is determined by smooth varieties. For cohomology with integral coefficients the situation is more complicated: following \textit{O. Benoist} and \textit{J. C. Ottem} [Duke Math. J. 170, No. 12, 2719--2753 (2021; Zbl 1478.14022)], the class \(\alpha\) is said to be of strong coniveau at least \(k\) if there exists a projective manifold \(Y\) of dimension \(n-c\) and a morphism \(f: Y \rightarrow X\) such that \(\alpha = f_* \beta\) for some \(\beta \in H_{2n-k}(Y, \mathbb Z)\). Benoist and Ottem showed that if \(c \geq 1\) and \(k \geq 2c+1\) there exist complex projective manifolds with integral cohomology classes of degree \(k\) that are of coniveau at least \(c\), but not of strong coniveau at least \(k\). The main result of this paper shows that the situation is much better if \(X\) is a smooth rationally connected threefold. Under this assumption any class \(\alpha \in H^3(X, \mathbb Z)_{\mathrm{tf}}:= H^3(X, \mathbb Z)/\mathrm{Torsion}\) has strong coniveau one. The main theorem follows from a more general statement in arbitrary dimension: given a rationally connected projective manifold of dimension \(n\), the coniveau \(N^{n-2} H^{2n-3}(X, \mathbb Z)_{\mathrm{tf}}\) coincides with the strong coniveau \(\tilde N^{n-2} H^{2n-3}(X, \mathbb Z)_{\mathrm{tf}}\). Moreover if the Abel-Jacobi map \[ \Phi_X : \mathrm{CH}_1(X)_{\mathrm{alg}} \rightarrow J^{2n-3}(X) \] is injective on torsion elements, one has \(H^{2n-3}(X, \mathbb Z)_{\mathrm{tf}} = \tilde N^{n-2} H^{2n-3}(X, \mathbb Z)_{\mathrm{tf}}\). The condition on the Abel-Jacobi map is known to be always true in dimension three, but it is not clear if it still holds in higher dimension. For the proof the author introduces two new filtrations of the integral (co)homology, the cylinder homomorphism filtration \(N_{\mathrm{c,cyl}} H^k(X, \mathbb Z)\) and, for \(c=1\), the stable-cylinder filtration \(N_{\mathrm{1, cyl, st}} H_{k+2}(X, \mathbb Z)\).