Classification of varieties with canonical curve section via Gaussian maps on canonical curves (Q3842863)

In this paper the authors develop further a method which they introduced earlier [\textit{C. Ciliberto, A. Lopez} and \textit{R. Miranda}, Invent. Math. 114, No. 3, 641-667 (1993; Zbl 0807.14028)] for classifying varieties having as curve section a smooth canonical curve of genus \(g \geq 3\). This paper applies that approach to the case of Fano threefolds with Picard number one and Mukai varieties, giving a new approach to their classification, which was originally achieved by Fano, Iskovskikh and others. It is based on the following nice idea. Let \(V \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) be a smooth, irreducible projective Cohen-Macaulay variety, with general hyperplane section \(W\). \(V\) flatly degenerates to the cone \(X\) over \(W\), and so \([X]\) is a point in the Hilbert scheme \(\mathcal H\) of \(V\). Suppose that one can find an upper bound for \(h^0(X,N_X)\) (the dimension of the Zariski tangent space to \({\mathcal H}\) at \(X\)) and that one knows an irreducible family \(\mathcal F\) of varieties containing \([V]\) as member, where the dimension of \(\mathcal F\) is equal to the upper bound for \(h^0(X,N_X)\). It follows that \([X]\) is a smooth point of \(\mathcal H\) and that the closure of \(\mathcal F\) is the unique component of \(\mathcal H\) containing \([X]\) and \([V]\). Suppose further that one can prove that the Hilbert scheme \({\mathcal H}'\) of the hyperplane sections \(W\) of \(V\) is irreducible, and that as \(V\) varies in any component of its Hilbert scheme, the possible hyperplane sections \(W\) vary to fill \({\mathcal H}'\). Then it can be shown that \(\mathcal H\) is also irreducible (using the smoothness result) and is the closure of \(\mathcal F\). This is a classification result for varieties \(V\). The existence of the families, for the application to Fano threefolds, comes from papers of Fano and Iskovskih, although the authors stress that their classification argument does not rely on the classification theorems of Fano and Iskovskikh, but simply on the existence of the families proved there. To show that these examples are enough the authors use a theorem of Zak and L'vovskij which shows, under suitable conditions, that a curve cannot be a curve section of a variety which is not a cone. Throughout the paper, heavy use is made of Gaussian maps and calculations using them.