A note on the maximal rank (Q2157471)

Let \(X\subset \mathbb P^N\) be an irreducible and non-degenerate projective variety over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. This paper investigates upper bounds for the maximal \(X\)-rank. Given a point \(P\in \mathbb P^N\), the \(X\)-rank of \(P\), denoted by \(r_X(P)\), is the least number of points of \(X\) whose linear span contains \(P\). It is interesting to investigate the maximum possible value for \(r_X(P)\), as the point \(P\) varies in \(\mathbb P^N\). This maximum is called the maximal \(X\)-rank and is here denoted by \(r_{\max}\). This notion has been studied in different contexts depending on \(X\) and, for instance, is connected with the study of the open Waring rank and the usual Waring rank, (see [\textit{J. Jelisiejew}, Arch. Math. 102, No. 4, 329--336 (2014; Zbl 1322.14079); \textit{E. Ballico} and \textit{A. De Paris}, Discrete Comput. Geom. 57, No. 4, 896--914 (2017; Zbl 1369.15004)] for relevant related results). For an integer \(s\), let \(\sigma_s(X)\) be the \(s\)-secant variety of \(X\), that is the Zariski closure of the set of points \(P\) of \(\mathbb P^N\) such that \(r_X(P)\leq s\). The projective variety \(\sigma_s(X)\) is irreducible and we can consider the maximal \(\sigma_s(X)\)-rank, which is denoted by \(r_{\max,s}\). The generic \(X\)-rank is the least integer \(g\) such that \(\sigma_g(X)=\mathbb P^N\). The main result of this paper is the bound \(r_{\max}\leq r_{\max,g-1}+1\), under the hypothesis that \(X\) is smooth and that \(\sigma_{g-1}(X)\) is a hypersurface, with \(g>2\) (see Theorem 2.4). The proof exploits geometric arguments. Following some interesting consequences of this result, the authors formulate the conjecture that \(r_{\max}=\max\{ r_{\max,g-1}+g\}\) under the same hypotheses of the main result (see Conjecture 2.7). They also collect some evidences of this conjecture, while they compare their bound with the existing ones in several known cases. One of the given examples shows that the author's bound is sharp.