Kawamata-Viehweg vanishing as Kodaira vanishing for stacks (Q2388309)

Let \(k\) be a field, and let \((X,D)\) be a pair consisting of a smooth variety \(X\) and a rational divisor \(D\in\text{Div}(X)\otimes\mathbb{Q}\) defined over \(k\). Suppose that the support of \(D\) has only normal crossings and, furthermore, that there is an integer \(n\), prime to \(\text{char}(k)\), for which \(nD\) is an integral divisor. In the present paper, the authors provide a construction that associates to such a pair \((X,D)\) a certain Deligne-Mumford stack \(\chi\) over \(X\), which is shown to be the ``minimal covering'' of \(X\) (in the sense of stacks) on which \(D\) becomes an integral divisor \(\widetilde D\). Using the particular properties of this associated stack \(\chi\), it is then shown how the classical vanishing theorem of Kawamata-Viehweg [\textit{H. Esnault} and \textit{E. Viehweg}, Lectures on vanishing theorems (DMV Seminar, Basel, Birkhäuser Verlag (1992; Zbl 0779.14003)] can naturally be reinterpreted as a consequence of a version of the Kodaira vanishing theorem for smooth, proper and tame Deligne-Mumford stacks à la Deligne-Illusie-Raynaud [\textit{P. Deligne} and \textit{L. Illusie}, Invent. Math. 89, 247--270 (1987; Zbl 0632.14017)]. Methodically, the stack \(\chi\) associated to the pair \((X,D)\) is constructed as a moduli space classifying certain log structures on the variety \(X\), using the basic framework of Fontaine-Illusie and its elaboration by \textit{K. Kato} [in: Algebraic analysis, geometry, and number theory, Proc. JAMI Inaugur. Conf., Baltimore/MD (USA) 1988, 191--224 (1989; Zbl 0776.14004)]. The authors' stack-theoretic interpretation of the Kawamata-Viehweg vanishing sheds some new light on the entire ``Minimal Model Program'' in (higher-dimensional) birational geometry, and it might lead to an additional tool in the study of the singularities produced by carrying out this program in dimension greater than two.