On minimal model theory for log abundant lc pairs (Q2209451)

While the existence of minimal models (resp. Mori fibre spaces) for klt pairs \((X, \Delta)\) is known in several cases thanks to the work of \textit{C. Birkar} et al. [J. Am. Math. Soc. 23, No. 2, 405--468 (2010; Zbl 1210.14019)], the generalisation to log-canonical pairs is far from being obvious. Since this generalisation is of central importance for further progress on the abundance conjecture in higher dimension, numerous geometers work towards an inductive argument allowing to establish classical results of the MMP in an extended framework. In this paper the authors consider the termination of log MMP with scaling and the existence of good minimal models for log abundant pairs. \newline Given a projective morphism between quasi-projective varieties \(\pi: X \rightarrow Z\), an lc pair \((X, \Delta)\) is said to be \(\pi\)-log abundant if \(K_X+\Delta\) is abundant over \(Z\) and for every log-canonical centre the pull-back of \(K_X+\Delta\) to the normalisation is also abundant over \(Z\). Assuming the existence of good minimal models or Mori fibre spaces for projective klt pairs of dimension \(n\), the authors show the existence of a good minimal model or Mori fibre space for the lc pair \((X, \Delta)\) if the pair is log abundant over \(Z\) and if for any lc centre \(S\) one has \(\dim S - \dim \pi(S) \leq n\). In fact the authors show a more general statement replacing the assumption on the dimension with an assumption on the relative numerical dimension for the restriction of \(K_X+\Delta\) to the lc centres. \newline The second part of the paper deals with the termination of log MMP for lc pairs that are not \(\mathbb Q\)-factorial, a key point when restricting to subvarieties. The authors obtain termination for an MMP with scaling by an ample \(\mathbb R\)-divisor as a consequence of the following theorem: let \(\pi: X \rightarrow Z\) be a projective morphism between quasi-projective varieties, and let \((X,B)\) be an lc pair. Let \(A\) be a \(\pi\)-ample \(\mathbb{R}\)-divisor on \(X\) such that \((X,B+A)\) is lc. Then, \((X,B+A)\) has a good minimal model or a Mori fiber space over \(Z\). \newline As an interesting application of this statement one obtains a variant of the canonical bundle formula: let \(f: X \rightarrow Y\) be a contraction between normal projective varieties such that \(X\) or \(Y\) is \(\mathbb Q\)-factorial. If \((X,B)\) is an lc pair that is log-Fano, there exists a divisor \(B_Y\) on \(Y\) such that \((Y, B_Y)\) is lc and log-Fano.