On non-normal del Pezzo varieties (Q2438886)

A non degenerate projective variety \(X \subset \mathbb{P}^r\) is said of \textit{almost minimal degree} if its degree equals its codimension plus two. If moreover \(X \subset \mathbb{P}^r\) is arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay then it is said a \textit{del Pezzo} variety. Since varieties of minimal degree are classified, it is therefore natural to deal with the problem of classification of del Pezzo varieties. \textit{T. Fujita} [Classification theories of polarized varieties. London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series. 155. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press (1990; Zbl 0743.14004)] has shown that this kind of varieties are either normal and linearly normal or else the projection of a variety of minimal degree \(X' \subset \mathbb{P}^{r+1}\) from a point \(p \notin X'\). The paper under review focus on the problem of classifying the second type of del Pezzo varieties, i.e., non-normal \(n\)-dimensional del Pezzo varieties in \(\mathbb{P}^{n+c}\) (up to projective equivalence). Since del Pezzo cones are always a cone over another del Pezzo variety which is not a cone, one can suppose that \(X \subset \mathbb{P}^{n+c}\) is not a cone. The cases \(c=1\) and \(2\) were classified by the authors and \textit{P. Schenzel} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 216, No. 5, 1222--1234 (2012; Zbl 1246.14070)] by methods that cannot be generalized to higher values of \(c\). The main result of the paper under review is a complete classification (see Theorem 4.1) of non-normal del Pezzo varieties: if \(X \subset \mathbb{P}^r\) is a \(n\)-dimensional non-normal del Pezzo variety of degree \(d \geq 5\) which is not a cone (and hence, by previous results, \(n \leq 3\)) then, up to projective equivalence: a) \(n=1\) and there is exactly two (resp three) non-normal del Pezzo curves when the characteristic of the base field does not divide (resp. does divide) \(r+1\); b) two (resp. three) non-normal del Pezzo surfaces when the characteristic is not (resp. is) two; and c) one non-normal del Pezzo threefold. The proof of this result consists of first constructing some non-normal del Pezzo varieties, describing their equations; and second of proving that any del Pezzo is projectively equivalent to exactly one of these examples, studying the action of the group of automorphisms of \(\mathbb{P}^{r+1}\) on the set of projection centers giving del Pezzo varieties.