Homological projective duality (Q2465552)

The present paper introduces the notion of homological projective duality for smooth algebraic varieties lying in dual projective spaces. This definition is motivated by the following question: Let \(X\) be a smooth projective variety and \(D(X)\) the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves on it, let \(X_H\) be a hyperplane section of \(X\). Is it possible to find a semiorthogonal decomposition of \(D(X_H)\) from a given semiorthogonal decomposition of \(D(X)\)? To this end, the author defines a Lefschetz decomposition of \(D(X)\) to be a semiorthogonal decomposition of the form \[ D(X)= \langle A_0, A_1(1), \dots, A_{i-1}(i-1)\rangle, \] where the triangulated subcategories \(A_k\) are such that \(0 \subset A_{i-1} \subset \dots \subset A_0\) and \((k)\) denotes the twist by \({\mathcal O}_X(k)\). Such decompositions have a nice behaviour when taking hyperplane sections of \(X\). Indeed, if \(X_H\) is the hyperplane section of \(X\) with respect to \({\mathcal O}_X(1)\), then the composition \(A_k(k) \to D(X) \to D(X_H)\) of the embedding and the restriction is full and faithful for \(1 \leq k \leq i-1\) and preserves orthogonality. There exists then an admissible subcategory \(C_H\) of \(D(X_H)\), such that we have a semiorthogonal decomposition \[ D(X_H)= \langle C_H, A_1(1),\dots, A_{i-1}\rangle. \] Moreover, if we let \(X\) in \({\mathbb{P}} (V)\) and we take a linear subspace \(L \subset V^*\) such that the linear section \(X_L\) is of expected dimension, a similar decomposition holds with an opportune choice of the subcategories \(A_k\). We can now consider \(\{ C_H \}_{H \in {\mathbb{P}}(V^*)}\) as a family of triangulated categories over the dual projective space \({\mathbb{P}}(V^*)\). If such a family is algebraic, i. e. if there exists an algebraic variety \(Y \to {\mathbb{P}}(V^*)\) such that \(D(Y_H) \simeq C_H\) holds for any fibre \(Y_H\) over a point \(H\), then \(Y\) admits a Lefschetz decomposition \[ D(Y) =\langle B_{j-1} (1-j),\dots, B_{1}(-1),B_0\rangle \] which is the dual of the Lefschetz decomposition of \(X\). Moreover, if a linear subspace \(L\) of \(V^*\) and its orthogonal \(L^{\perp}\) in \(V\) are such that the linear sections \(X_L\) and \(Y_L\) are of the expected dimension, then there exist a triangulated subcategory \(C_L\) and semiorthogonal decompositions \[ \begin{aligned} D(X_L)&=\langle C_L, A_{\dim L}(1),\dots, A_{i-1}(i-\dim L)\rangle,\\ D(Y_L)&=\langle B_{j-i}(\dim L^{\perp}-j),\dots, B_{\dim L^{\perp}}(-1), C_L\rangle.\end{aligned} \] The author then defines \(Y\) to be the homological projective dual of \(X\) with respect to the given Lefschetz decomposition. An easy corollary, based on the definition of derived category of singularities given in [\textit{D. Orlov} Triangulated categories of singularities and D-branes in Landau-Ginzburg models, Tr. Mat. Inst. Steklova, 246, 240--262 (2004); transl. in Proc. Steklov Inst. Math. 246, 227--248 (2004; Zbl 1101.81093)], states that \(X_L\) is smooth if and only if \(Y_L\) is smooth. A trivial example of such duality is \(X={\mathbb{P}}^n\) with Lefschetz decomposition \(\langle{\mathcal O},\dots, {\mathcal O}(n)\rangle\), whose dual is the empty set, but if the Lefschetz decomposition is taken with respect to \({\mathcal O}(2)\), then the author recovers the semiorthogonal decomposition of the intersection of quadrics given in [\textit{A. Bondal} and \textit{D. Orlov} Semiorthogonal decomposition for algebraic varieties, preprint, \url{arxiv:math.AG/9506012}]. In the case \(X\) is a projective bundle \({\mathbb{P}}(E)\), its homological projective dual is \(Y={\mathbb{P}}(E^{\vee})\). More interesting examples are Grassmannian varieties, for which homological projective duality is a powerful tool to study derived categories of Fano varieties arising as linear sections.