Totally invariant divisors of int-amplified endomorphisms of normal projective varieties (Q2659510)

The automorphism group of a projective variety \(X\) is an important invariant, for instance because of its relationship to the singularities of moduli spaces. Endomorphisms of \(X\) of positive degree are on the other hand quite rare. It is easy to construct examples on projective spaces or more generally on toric varieties, and on abelian varieties, but in general the existence of an endomorphism of positive degree imposes serious restrictions on \(X\). For instance the only smooth complex projective curves that admit endomorphisms of positive degree are those of genus \(g\leq 1\), i.e., \(\mathbb P^1\) or elliptic curves. A surjective endomorphism of positive degree \(f:X\to X\) is called polarized if \(f^*D\) is linearly equivalent to \(qD\) for some ample Cartier divisor \(D\) and some integer \(q>1\). The paper [\textit{D.-Q. Zhang}, Adv. Math. 252, 185--203 (2014; Zbl 1291.14029)] studied the structure of polarized endomorphisms. The present paper looks to generalize this to the case of int-amplified endomorphisms, a generalization of polarized endomorphisms. A surjective endomorphism of positive degree \(f:X\to X\) is called int-amplified if \(f^*D-D=H\) for some ample Cartier divisors \(D\) and \(H\). Let \(X\) be a \(\mathbb Q\)-factorial normal projective variety with at worst klt singularities. Let \(f:X\to X\) be an int-amplified endomorphism. Denote \(n=\dim X\) and \(\rho\) the Picard rank, the rank of the Néron--Severi group of \(X\). Let \(V_1,\ldots,V_c\) be the prime divisors of \(X\) that are invariant under \(f\), meaning \(f^{-1}D=D\) set theoretically. In the main result of this paper, it is proved that \(c\leq n+\rho\), so \(c\) is finite. If \(c\geq 1\), the author proves that the pair \((X,\sum_{i=1}^cV_i)\) is in fact at worst log-canonical, and \(X\) is uniruled. When \(c\) is large, the author studies the minimal model program (MMP) for \(X\), showing that it terminates in either an elliptic curve or a point, providing a criterion for \(X\) to be rationally connected. In the most extreme case \(c=n+\rho\), the author recovers the main result of [\textit{M. V. Brown} et al., Duke Math. J. 167, No. 5, 923--968 (2018; Zbl 1397.14028)], proving that \((X,\sum_{i=1}^{n+\rho}V_i)\) is a toric pair. The proofs follow the steps of the MMP for \(X\). The author proves that up to replacing \(f\) by a self-iteration, the int-amplified endomorphism persists in every contraction or flip of the MMP, and \(c\) changes in a controlled way.