Classification of the invariants of foliations by curves of low degree on the three-dimensional projective space (Q6058042)

Let \(X\) be a non-singular projective variety of dimension \(n\). A distribution \(\mathcal{F}\) of codimension \(r\) on \(X\) is an exact sequence \[ 0 \to T_{\mathcal{F}} \to T_X \to N_{\mathcal{F}} \to 0 \] where \(T_{\mathcal{F}}\) is a coherent sheaf of rank \(s=n-r\) and \(N_{\mathcal{F}}\) is torsion free. The \textit{singular scheme} \(Z = \operatorname{Sing} \mathcal{F}\) associated to \(\mathcal{F}\) is the degeneracy scheme of the induced map \(\wedge^s \Omega_X \to \det (T_{\mathcal{F}})^\vee\). The authors study the case \(r=n-1\), when the distribution is automatically integrable, and hence called a \textit{foliation by curves}. Here \(T_{\mathcal{F}}\) is a line bundle and the foliation is given by a section \(\phi \in H^0(T_X \otimes T_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee)\) whose cokernel is torsion free. The authors prove that \(N_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee\) is locally free if and only if \(Z \subset X\) has pure codimension two, when the foliation is said to be of \textit{local complete intersection type}. As in work of \textit{O. Calvo-Andrade} et al. [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2020, No. 23, 9011--9074 (2020; Zbl 1460.32040)], the authors construct a moduli space of foliations by curves with singular scheme having fixed Hilbert polynoial \(P\) as a Quot scheme. For \(X = \mathbb P^3\), the \textit{degree} of \(\mathcal{F}\) is the integer \(d\) for which \(T_{\mathcal{F}} = \mathcal{O} (d)\). Writing the Chern classes of \(N_{\mathcal{F}}\) in terms of the degree and arithmetic genus of \(Z\), it is shown that \(d+2 \leq c_2 (N^\vee_{\mathcal{F}}) \leq d^2+2d+3\). With this restraint, the authors classify low degree foliations on \(\mathbb P^3\) with locally free conormal sheaf. When \(d=0\), the conormal sheaf is not locally free by work of \textit{J. Déserti} and \textit{D. Cerveau} [Mém. Soc. Math. Fr., Nouv. Sér. 103, 124 p. (2005; Zbl 1107.37037)]. If \(d=1\), then \(N^\vee_{\mathcal{F}} = \mathcal{O} (-2)^2\) and \(\operatorname{Sing} \mathcal{F}\) consists of two skew lines. If \(d=2\), then \(N^\vee_{\mathcal{F}} = \mathcal{O} (-2) \oplus \mathcal{O} (-3)\) and \(\operatorname{Sing} \mathcal{F}\) is a connected curve of degree \(5\) and genus \(1\). They conclude that these foliations are given by the global complete intersection of two codimension one distributions and the corresponding moduli space for \(d=1\) (resp. \(d=2\)) is irreducible of dimension \(8\) (resp. \(20\)). For \(d=3\) there are several possibilities: (a) \(N_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee = \mathcal{O} (-2) \oplus \mathcal{O} (-4)\) and \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\) is a connected curve of degree \(10\) and genus \(5\); (b) \(N_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee = \mathcal{O} (-3)^2\) and \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\) is a connected curve of degree \(9\) and genus \(3\); (c) \(N_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee = \mathcal{E} (-3)\), where \(\mathcal{E}\) is a stable bundle with \(c_1 (\mathcal{E})=0\) and \(1 \leq c_2 (\mathcal{E}) \leq 5\), here \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\) has degree \(9 - c_2 (\mathcal{E})\) and genus \(8 - 3 c_2 (\mathcal{E})\). If \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\) is reduced, then \(c_2 (\mathcal{E}) \leq 4\), \(\mathcal{E}\) is an instanton bundle and \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\) is connected if and only if \(c_2 (\mathcal{E}) = 1,2\). Dualizing and twisting a general section \(\mathcal{O} \to \Omega_{\mathbb P^3} (2)\) gives rise to an exact sequence \(0 \to N(1) \to T_{\mathbb P^3} \to \mathcal{O} (2) \to 0\) where \(N\) is a null-correlation bundle. A foliation \(\mathcal{F}\) by curves on \(\mathbb P^3\) is \textit{Legendrian} if \(T_{\mathcal{F}} \subset N(1)\) in this sequence, these were studied by \textit{Bryant} [J. Differ. Geom. 17, 455--473 (1982; Zbl 0498.53046)]. Geometrically this means that the leaves of \(\mathcal{F}\) are Legendrian curves outside of \(\operatorname{sing} \mathcal{F}\), meaning they are tangent to the contact structure. The authors show that every Legendrian foliation \(\mathcal{F}\) of degree \(d\) is of the form \(\omega_0 \wedge \omega\), where \(\omega_0\) is a contact form and \(\omega \in H^0 (\Omega (d+1))\) and that the moduli space of Legendrian foliations of degree \(d\) is irreducible quasi-projective variety of dimension \(d \cdot {\binom{d+3}{2}} - {\binom{d+2}{3}}+4\) for \(d \geq 2\) (the dimension is \(8\) if \(d=1\)). In liaison theory of space curves, an important invariant of a locally Cohen-Macaulay curve \(C \subset \mathbb P^3\) is the \textit{Rao module}, the graded module \(M(C) = H^1_* (\mathcal I_C)\). For a foliation \(\mathcal{F}\) of local complete intersection type, \textit{M. Corrêa jun.} et al. [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 64, No. 5, 1359--1381 (2015; Zbl 1328.32005)] observed that the Rao module of the singular scheme \(Z\) is an arithmetically Buchsbaum curve, meaning that the multiplication on the Rao module is trivial. Furthermore, the conormal sheaf \(N^\vee_{\mathcal{F}}\) splits as a direct sum of line bundles if and only if \(\dim M(Z) = 1\). The authors handle the next case, showing that \(\dim M(Z) = 2\) if and only if \(N_{\mathcal{F}}^\vee\) is a twisted null-correlation bundle and \(Z\) is connected. Further, the moduli space of foliations by curves of degree \(2k+1\) whose conormal bundle is a twisted null-correlation bundle is an irreducible quasi-projective variety of dimension \(8 {\binom{k+4}{3}} - 2 {\binom{k+5}{3}}-3k-3\).