Characterization of generic projective space bundles and algebraicity of foliations (Q2301921)

Let \(X\) be a complex projective manifold that is not covered by rational curves. By the work of \textit{S. Boucksom} et al. [J. Algebr. Geom. 22, No. 2, 201--248 (2013; Zbl 1267.32017)] the canonical bundle \(K_X\) is pseudoeffective. Actually a stronger statement holds: if \(\Omega_X^{\otimes m} \rightarrow Q\) is a quotient of some tensor power of the cotangent bundle, then its determinant \(\det Q\) is pseudoeffective. These results do not hold for varieties that are covered by rational curves, but one can include this case by considering a twist \(\Omega_X \otimes L\) where \(L\) is an ample line bundle on \(X\). In this paper the authors show the following semipositivity result for this bundle: let \(X\) be a normal \(\mathbb Q\)-factorial projective variety, and assume that \(X\) does not admit an almost holomorphic map such that the general fibre is a projective space. If \((\Omega_X \otimes L)^{\otimes m} \rightarrow Q\) is a quotient, then its determinant \(\det Q\) is pseudoeffective. This theorem is a consequence of the following technical statement: let \(X\) be a normal \(\mathbb Q\)-factorial projective variety, and \(L\) an ample line bundle on \(X\). Let \(\alpha\) be a movable class on \(X\) such that \(\mu^{max}_\alpha(T_X \otimes L^*)\), the maximal slope of some subsheaf in \(T_X \otimes L^*\), is strictly larger than zero. Then \(X\) admits an almost holomorphic map such that the general fibre is a projective space. This generalises earlier work of the reviewer on the case where the movable class \(\alpha\) is \(c_1(L)^{\dim X-1}\) [Ann. Inst. Fourier 64, No. 6, 2465--2480 (2014; Zbl 1348.14054)]. The proof of these results are based on the classification theory for foliations developed by the authors in the last ten years, see e.g. [Math. Ann. 360, No. 3-4, 769-798 (2014; Zbl 1396.14035), Adv. Math. 238, 70--118 (2013; Zbl 1282.14085)], and the algebraic integrability result of \textit{F. Campana} and \textit{M. Păun} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 129, 1--49 (2019; Zbl 1423.14109)]. The authors also give a number of applications concerning the algebraic rank of a foliation: given a foliation \(\mathcal F \subset T_X\), the algebraic rank \(r^a(\mathcal F)\) is the rank of the largest subfoliation \(\mathcal F^a \subset \mathcal F\) that has algebraic leaves. If \(\det \mathcal F\) is ample, i.e. \(\mathcal F\) is a Fano foliation, it is natural to consider the Fano index, i.e. the maximal divisibility of \(\det \mathcal F\) in the Picard group and it is possible to show foliated versions of the theorem of \textit{S. Kobayashi} and \textit{T. Ochiai} [J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 13, 31--47 (1973; Zbl 0261.32013)]. In this paper the authors prove refined statements for foliations with big anticanonical class: they introduce the generalised index \(\hat \iota(\mathcal F)\) of a foliation with \(\det \mathcal F\) big and show that \(r^a(\mathcal F) \geq \hat \iota(\mathcal F)\). Moreover equality holds if and only if \(X\) is the projective space and \(\mathcal F\) is the pull-back of a purely transcendental foliation from a smaller dimension projective space. If one assumes that \(r^a(\mathcal F) \leq \hat \iota(\mathcal F) +1\), they show that the closure of the general leaf is rationally connected.