On 3-syzygy and unexpected plane curves (Q2230954)

The authors consider the homogeneous polynomial ring \(S = \mathbb C[x,y,z]\) and the corresponding projective space \(\mathbb P^2\). Let \(C \subset \mathbb P^2\) be a reduced plane curve defined by a homogeneous polynomial \(f \in S\) of degree \(d\). Let \(J\) be the Jacobian ideal of \(f\) and let \(\mathcal J_f\) be the sheafification of \(J\). Let \(\mathcal D_0\) be the syzygy bundle of \(J_f\). We say that \(C\) is free with exponents \((d_1,d_2)\) if \(\mathcal D_0\) splits as a direct sum of line bundles \(\mathcal O(-d_1) \oplus \mathcal O(-d_2)\) on \(\mathbb P^2\). Freeness is related to the famous Terao Conjecture for line arrangements. If \(I_f\) is the saturation of \(J_f\) with respect to the homogeneous maximal ideal, we define \(N(f) = I_f / J_f\). The curve \(C\) is called nearly free if \(N(f) \neq 0\) and for each \(k\), \(\dim N(f)_k \leq 1\). The curve \(C\) is a \(k\)-syzygy curve if the syzygy module \(\hbox{Syz}(J_f)\)is minimally generated by \(k\) homogeneous syzygies. These and related objects have been carefully studied by Dimca and others. The main purpose of the paper is to construct new examples of plane curves (line arrangements) which are 3-syzygies and to study their geometric properties. Unexpected curves were introduced by \textit{D. Cook II}, \textit{B. Harbourne}, \textit{U. Nagel} and the reviewer [Compos. Math. 154, No. 10, 2150--2194 (2018; Zbl 1408.14174)], as a property possessed by the dual of certain special line arrangements in \(\mathbb P^2\), and in this paper the authors show that their examples possess this property.