Gauss maps with nontrivial separable degree in positive characteristic (Q5929289)

Let \(X\subset\mathbb{P}^N\) be a projective variety of dimension \(n\) over an algebraically closed field \(k\). The Gauss map: \(X\to\text{Grass}(n,\mathbb{P}^N)\) associates to every smooth point \(x\) of \(X\) the embedded tangent space to \(X\) at \(x\). A result of \textit{F. L. Zak} [``Tangents and secants of algebraic varieties'', Transl. Math. Monogr. 127, Providence, RI (1993; Zbl 0795.14011)] asserts that if \(X\) is smooth and not linear then the Gauss map is finite. Moreover, if \(\text{char }k=0\), it is also birational onto its image. Assume, from now on, that \(\text{char }k=p>0\). As pointed out by A. Wallace in 1956, the Gauss map of the Fermat hypersurface of degree \(p+1\) is the \(k\)-Frobenius. \textit{H. Kaji} [Compos. Math. 70, 177-197 (1989; Zbl 0692.14015) and ibid. 78, 261-269 (1991; Zbl 0756.14021)] showed that if \(X\) is a smooth curve of genus \(>1\) or a supersingular elliptic curve then the Gauss map is always purely inseparable and that if \(X\) is ordinary elliptic or \(\mathbb{P}^1\) then it admits embeddings for which the Gauss map is inseparable but not purely inseparable. In this paper, the author gives examples of embeddings of projective varieties \(X\) of dimension \(n\geq 2\) for which the Gauss map has separable degree greater then 1 onto its image. He constructs smooth \(X\)'s for any Kodaira dimension \(\leq n-1\) and normal with isolated singularities \(X\)'s for Kodaira dimension \(n\) (and \(p>2\)). These varieties occur as cyclic coverings of degree divisible by \(p\). In the case of maximal Kodaira dimension, the author uses a construction of \textit{J. Kollár} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 8, 241-249 (1995; Zbl 0839.14031)]. He also constructs embeddings of \(\mathbb{P}^n\) (\(n\geq 2\), \(p>2\)) for which the image of the Gauss map is a normal variety of general type.