The degree of irrationality of hypersurfaces in various Fano varieties (Q2297360)

The degree of irrationality of an algebraic variety \(X\) of dimension \(n\) is the minimal integer \(m\) such that there exists a rational dominant map \(X\to \mathbb P^n\) of degree \(m\). It gives a measure of how far \(X\) is from being rational. In [\textit{F. Bastianelli} et al., J. Algebr. Geom. 23, No. 2, 313--339 (2014; Zbl 1317.14029)] it was proved that, for a general hypersurface \(X\) of dimension \(n\leq 3\) and degree large enough, the degree of irrationality is equal to \(d-1\), so extending a classical result of Max Noether for plane curves. This result was extended in [\textit{F. Bastianelli} et al., Compos. Math. 153, No. 11, 2368--2393 (2017; Zbl 1387.14118)] where it was proved that the degree of irrationality is equal to \(d-1\) for very general smooth hypersurfaces of any dimension \(n\), provided \(d\geq 2n-1\). In the article under review, the authors compute the degree of irrationality of varieties that are hypersurfaces of degree large enough in some Fano varieties \(Z\), and precisely in quadrics, cubic threefolds and fourfolds, complete intersection threefolds of type (2,2), Grassmannians, and products of projective spaces. The proof relies on a study of the fibres of a finite map \(X\to \mathbb P^n\); in all the cases considered it results that the fibres satisfy the Cayley-Bacharach condition with respect to the canonical linear series on \(X\), which implies that they are contained in curves in \(Z\) of degree at most \(2\). Then the results follow from the geometry of the curves of low degree on \(Z\).