On the bicanonical map of primitive varieties with \(q(X)=\dim X\): the degree and the Euler number (Q2249640)

Let \(X\) be a smooth complex projective variety of dimension \(n\), of general type and of maximal Albanese dimension. \textit{J. A. Chen} and \textit{C. D. Hacon} [in: Proceedings of the symposium on algebraic geometry in East Asia, Kyoto, Japan, August 3--10, 2001. River Edge, NJ: World Scientific. 143--153 (2002; Zbl 1094.14502)] showed that the tricanonical map of \(X\) is birational onto its image. As to the bicanonical map, the exceptions to the birationality have been widely studied in the literature. In particular, for \(n=2\), they are: (i) surfaces fibered in curves of genus \(2\) (the standard case); (ii) surfaces with irregularity \(q(X)>2\), birational to a theta divisor of a principally polarized abelian threefold; (iii) surfaces with \(q(X)=2\), birational to a double cover of a simple, principally polarized abelian surface, branched along a divisor linearly equivalent to twice the theta divisor. In higher dimensions, if \(X\) is endowed with a fibration with general fibers having non-birational bicanonical map, then the bicanonical map of \(X\) is not birational. As to varieties not admitting any fibration, the situation is clear when \(q(X) > n\), leading to the higher dimensional analog of (ii) as proved by Barja, Lahoz, Naranjo and Pareschi [\textit{M. A. Barja} et al., J. Algebr. Geom. 21, No. 3, 445--471 (2012; Zbl 1245.14007)]; on the other hand, for \(q(X)=n (> 2)\), the analog of iii) is the only known example. The paper under review focuses on case \(q(X)=n\), and the author proves that if the bicanonical map of \(X\) is not birational, and \(\text{{Alb}}(X)\) is simple, then \(\chi(\omega_X)=1\) and the linear system \(|2K_X|\) separates two distinct points over the same general point of \(\text{{Alb}}(X)\) via the Albanese map.