On factoriality of threefolds with isolated singularities (Q2255324)

A complex, projectively normal variety \(X \subset \mathbb P^n\) is said to be factorial if its homogeneous coordinate ring is a unique factorization domain. If \(X\) is non-singular in codimension \(1\), this is equivalent to requiring that its class group \(\text{Cl}(X)\) is isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z\), generated by \(\mathcal O_X(1)\). By work of \textit{C. Ciliberto} and \textit{V. Di Gennaro} [in: Algebraic transformation groups and algebraic varieties. Proceedings of the conference on interesting algebraic varieties arising in algebraic transformation group theory, Vienna, Austria, October 22--26, 2001. Berlin: Springer. 1--7 (2004; Zbl 1068.14010)] and \textit{I. A. Cheltsov} [Sb. Math. 201, No. 7, 1069--1090 (2010); translation from Mat. Sb. 201, No. 7, 137--160 (2010; Zbl 1215.14040); J. Algebr. Geom. 19, No. 4, 781--791 (2010; Zbl 1209.14034)], it is known that a threefold \(X \subset \mathbb P^4\) of degree \(d\) with exactly \(k\) nodes as singularities, is factorial if \(k < (d-1)^2\), whereas if \(k=(d-1)^2\), then \(X\) is factorial if and only if the nodes are not coplanar. Motivated by this result, in the paper under review the authors deal with the more general case of isolated ordinary singular points of multiplicity \(\geq 2\); for instance, for \(X \subset \mathbb P^4\) as above, ordinary means that the corresponding tangent cone is a cone over a smooth surface in \(\mathbb P^3\). The main result they prove is the following. Let \(Y \subseteq \mathbb P^n\) be a smooth complete intersection fourfold, and \(X \subset Y\) a reduced, irreducible threefold that is the complete intersection of \(Y\) with a hypersurface of \(\mathbb P^n\) of degree \(d\). Assume that the singular locus of \(X\) consists of \(k\), isolated, ordinary multiple points of multiplicities \(m_1, \dots , m_k\): if \(\sum_{i=1}^k m_i < d\), then \(X\) is factorial. A factoriality criterion is also obtained when the above inequality is not satisfied, provided that the singularities of \(X\) are in general position and they all have the same multiplicity \(m\). This allows to produce new examples of singular factorial varieties. Moreover, examples of non-factorial threefolds \(X \subset \mathbb P^4\) of degree \(d\) with only \(k\), isolated, ordinary singular points of multiplicity \(m\) as singularities are exhibited. In all these examples, the following equality occurs: \(k(m-1)^2=(d-1)^2\). This leads the authors to conjecture the factoriality of any hypersurface \(X \subset \mathbb P^4\) of degree \(d\) whose singular locus consists of \(k\) ordinary double points of multiplicities \(m_1, \dots , m_k\), provided that \(\sum_{i=1}^k (m_i-1)^2 < (d-1)^2\). This would be perfectly in line with the results of Ciliberto, Di Gennaro, and Cheltsov.