On Castelnuovo theory and non-existence of smooth isolated curves in quintic threefolds (Q342965)

A smooth complex projective curve \(C\) is isolated in a smooth ambient projective variety \(Y\) if the normal bundle of \(C\) in \(Y\) has no global sections. Of particular interest is \(Y\) being a general complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefold, where the expected dimension of the deformation space of a locally complete intersection curve is zero. The general problem, as stated in Problem 1.1 in the paper under review, is to understand the complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds containing an isolated curve of (fixed) degree \(d\) and genus \(g\). The paper under review focuses on the case in which \(Y\) is a smooth quintic threefold (in \(\mathbb{P}^4\)). The author finds some necessary conditions for curves to be isolated in \(Y\) leading on one hand to a non-existence result (Thm. 3.5) and on the other to a classification result (Cor. 3.6) for \(d \leq 9\). To be precise, if \((d,g)\) is in the list below, \(C \subset \mathbb{P}^4\) cannot be isolated in any smooth quintic threefold. The list is the following: (1) \(g>d-3\), \((d,g) \neq (3,1)\) and \(3 \leq d \leq 8\); (2) \(g>2d-11\) and \(9 \leq d \leq 12\); (3) \(g>(d^2-4d+8)/8\) and \(12<d<144\); (4) \(g>(d^2-3d+10)/10\) and \(d\geq 144\). Consequently, if there exists a smooth isolated curve of degree \(d \leq 9\) and genus \(g\) in a general quintic threefold then the pair \((d,g)\) must be in the list (previously found) by \textit{A. L. Knutsen} (see Thm. 1.2 in [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 364, 5234--5264 (2012; Zbl 1330.14014)]).