A combinatorial proof of the duality defect conjecture in codimension 2 (Q5951947)

Let \(X \subset \mathbb P^N\), \(m > 2N/3\), be a smooth \(m\)-dimensional projective submanifold. In 1974 Hartshorne conjectured that \(X\) is a complete intersection. A far weaker conjecture is that the dual variety of \(X\) is a hypersurface; this is known only if \(m= N-2\). Here the author raises this weaker conjecture (ascribing it to A. Landman) and gives a new proof of the case \(m=N-2\) using the spannedness of \(N_X(-1)\), where \(N_X\) is the normal bundle of \(X\).