Zariski's conjecture and Euler-Chow series (Q2210313)

Let \(X\) be a smooth complex projective variety with \(\text{Pic} (X)\) a finitely generated free abelian group. For an effective divisor \(D \in \text{Pic} (X)\), let \(R(X,D)\) be the subring \(\bigoplus_{n=0}^{\infty} H^0(\mathcal O_X (nD))\) of the Cox ring \(\text{Cox} (X)\), which has corresponding Poincaré series \(\displaystyle R_{X,D} (t) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} h^0(\mathcal O_X (nD))\). \textit{X. Chen} et al. [J. Algebra 447, 206--239 (2016; Zbl 1343.14007)] defined an Euler-Chow series that is roughly given by \(\displaystyle E_X = \sum_{D \in \text{Pic} (X)} h^0(\mathcal O_X (D)) t^D\). The authors study various implications among finite generation of the rings \(R(X,D)\) and \(\text{Cox} (X)\) and rationality of series \(E_X\) and \(R_{X,D}\), reporting on current status in the introduction and making several conjectures. The authors prove that if \(X\) is a Mori dream space over \(\mathbb C\), then for any \(l > 0\) and \(\mathbb Q\)-effective divisors \(D_1, \dots D_l\), the ring \[ R(X,D_1,\dots,D_l) = \bigoplus_{m_i \in \mathbb N} H^0(\mathcal O_X(\sum_{i=1}^l m_i D_i)) \] is a finitely generated \(\mathbb C\)-algebra and for any \(D \in \text{Pic} (X)\), \[ M(X,D,D_1, \dots, D_l) = \bigoplus_{m_i \in \mathbb N} H^0(\mathcal O_X(D + \sum_{i=1}^l m_i D_i)) \] is a finitely generated module over \(R(X,D_1, \dots, D_l)\). This result is known to the experts, but has not appeared in the literature until now. They also show how one of their conjectures implies another. Assuming that \(\dim X = 2\), \(C\) is a purely one dimensional closed subscheme contained in a simple normal crossing divisor on \(X\) and \(L_1, \dots, L_a, D\) are line bundles on \(C\) with \(L_i\) numerically trivial, they conjecture that the series \[ \sum_{m_i \in \mathbb N} h^q(D \otimes L_1^{\otimes m_1} \otimes \dots \otimes L_a^{\otimes m_a})t_1^{m_1} \dots t_a^{m_a} \] is rational, i.e. lies in \(\mathbb Q(t_1, \dots, t_a)\) for all \(q \geq 0\). This conjecture holds for \(C\) smooth by the Mordell-Lang conjecture [\textit{S. Lang}, Fundamentals of Diophantine geometry. New York etc.: Springer-Verlag (1983; Zbl 0528.14013)]. Assuming this statement, they prove that if \(\dim X = 2\), then \(E_X\) is rational if and only if the closed cone \(\text{NE}^1 (X) \subset H^2 (X, \mathbb R)\) of pseudo-effective divisors on \(X\) is rational polyhedral.