Ulrich bundles on ruled surfaces (Q2401911)

Let \(X\) be an \(n\)-dimensional projective variety. Ulrich bundles on \(X\) are those arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay sheaves \(E\) which are characterized by being maximally generated. Equivalently, for any linear projection \(f: X \rightarrow \mathbb{P}^n\) the pushforward \(f_* E\) is trivial. An Ulrich bundle \(E\) is said to be \textit{special} if \(\det(E) \cong K_X(n+1).\) It is a well-known conjecture of Eisenbud and Schreyer that any projective variety supports an Ulrich bundle. The article under review establishes the existence of Ulrich bundles for the case of geometrically ruled surfaces. Let \(\pi: X \rightarrow C\) be a geometrically ruled surface over a genus \(g\) curve \(C\) with invariant \(e > 0.\) Let \(F\) be the fiber of \(\pi\) over some fixed point of \(C\) and let \(C_0\) be the section of \(\pi\) with self-intersection \(-e.\) We assume that \(\mathcal{O}_X(1)\) is a very ample line bundle on \(X\) with numerical class \(\alpha C_0 + \beta F,\) where \(\alpha \geq 1\) and \(\beta > \alpha e\). The authors prove in Theorem 2.1 that \(X\) admits a line bundle which is Ulrich with respect to \(\mathcal{O}_X(1)\) if and only if \(\alpha = 1\). If this happens then there are exactly 2 families of Ulrich line bundles. In Propositions 3.1 and 3.3, the existence of special Ulrich bundles of rank 2 for the case \(\alpha = 1\) and \(2\) are established. The case of \(\alpha \geq 3\) is handled in Theorem 3.4 under a mild assumption.