Curves on Segre threefolds (Q2300654)

The Hilbert scheme parametrizing flat families of projective schemes has been a popular object of study since it was constructed by \textit{A. Grothendieck} [Sem. Bourbaki 13 (1960/61), No. 221 (1961; Zbl 0236.14003)]. In liaison theory it is natural to focus on locally Cohen-Macaulay (CM) curves in \(\mathbb P^3\), where it is sometimes possible to classify curves of low degree and describe the corresponding Hilbert schemes, for example the CM curves of degree one are lines, which are parametrized by a Grassmann variety. There is a complete classification of CM curves in \(\mathbb P^3\) of degree \(\leq 4\) [\textit{S. Nollet}, Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 30, 367--384 (1997; Zbl 0892.14004); \textit{S. Nollet} and \textit{E. Schlesinger}, Compos. Math. 139, 169--196 (2003; Zbl 1053.14035)]. In the paper under review, the authors begin a program of classifying low degree curves on the other two Segre threefolds, \(X = \mathbb P^1 \times \mathbb P^1 \times \mathbb P^1\) and \(X = \mathbb P^2 \times \mathbb P^1\). The three projections of \(X = \mathbb P^1 \times \mathbb P^1 \times \mathbb P^1\) to \(\mathbb P^1\) yield three pull-backs of \({\mathcal O}_{\mathbb P^1} (1)\), so instead of the usual Hilbert polynomial, one has a trinomial \(p(t_1,t_2,t_3) \in \mathbb Q [t_1,t_2,t_3]\) giving the Euler characteristic of the twists \(\mathcal F (t_1,t_2,t_3)\) of a sheaf \(\mathcal F\). Thus a curve \(C \subset X\) has a tridegree \((d_1,d_2,d_3)\), which along with the Euler characterstic \(\chi\) determines the Hilbert trinomial for \(C\) and one can consider the family of such curves and its corresponding Hilbert scheme \(\mathbf{H}(d_1,d_2,d_3,\chi)\). The main results classify the curves in \(\mathbf{H}(2,0,0,a), (a \geq 2),\mathbf{H} (2,1,0,a) (a \geq 3), \mathbf{H} (1,1,1,a) (1 \leq a \leq 3)\) and \(\mathbf{H} (2,1,1,1)\) and determine the irreducible components of these Hilbert schemes. For example \(\mathbf{H}(2,0,0,a)\) is irreducible and rational for \(a \geq 2\) and \(\mathbf{H}(2,1,0,a)\) has two irreducible components for \(a \geq 3\). Many of the families constructed by the authors consist of double structures on lines and their unions with lines. There are similar results for Hilbert schemes of CM curves on \(X = \mathbb P^2 \times \mathbb P^1\).