The cones of effective cycles on projective bundles over curves (Q641881)

Let \(C\) be a smooth complex projective curve, \(E\) a vector bundle on \(C\) of rank \(n\) and degre \(d\) and let \(\pi : X := {\mathbb P}(E) \rightarrow C\) be the associated projective bundle. Let \(N^i(X)\) be the \(\mathbb R\)-vector subspace of \(\text{H}^{2i}(X,\mathbb R)\) generated by the classes of the \(i\)-codimensional subvarieties of \(X\) and consider the graded \(\mathbb R\)-algebra \(N(X) := \bigoplus_{i=0}^nN^i(X)\) with multiplication induced by the intersection form. \(N(X)\) is generated by the classes \(f,\xi \in N^1(X)\) of a fiber of \(\pi\) and of \({\mathcal O}_{{\mathbb P}(E)}(1)\) subject to the relations: \[ f^2 = 0, \;{\xi}^{n-1}f = [pt],\;{\xi}^n = d\cdot [pt]\, . \] Let \(\overline{\text{Eff}}^{\, i}(X)\) denote the closure in \(N^i(X)\) of the cone of effective \(i\)-codimensional cycles in \(X\). The elements of \(\overline{\text{Eff}}^{\, i}(X)\) are called \textit{pseudo-effective} cycles. In the paper under review, the author describes \(\overline{\text{Eff}}^{\, i}(X)\), \(i = 1,\dots ,n-1\), in terms of the numerical information of the \textit{Harder-Narasimhan filtration} \(0 = E_l\subset E_{l-1}\subset \cdots \subset E_1\subset E_0 = E\) of \(E\). More precisely, let \(r_k := \text{rk}\, E_k\) and \(d_k := \text{deg}\, E_k\), \(k = 0, \dots , l\) (with \(d_l = 0\)). The main result of the paper under review asserts that, for \(1 \leq k \leq l\), \(r_k \leq i < r_{k-1}\), \(i \neq 0\), one has \(\overline{\text{Eff}}^{\, i}(X) = {\mathbb R}_+({\xi}^i - {\nu}^{(i)}{\xi}^{i-1}f) + {\mathbb R}_+{\xi}^{i-1}f\), where: \[ {\nu}^{(i)} = \frac{r_{k-1}-i}{r_{k-1}-r_k}d_k + \frac{i-r_k}{r_{k-1}-r_k}d_{k-1}\, . \] First of all, for \(r_1 \leq i < r_0 = n\), the above formula can be easily deduced from a result of \textit{R. Hartshorne} [Nagoya Math. J. 43, 73--89 (1971; Zbl 0218.14018)] which implies that \(\xi - \mu (E/E_1)f\) is a \textit{nef divisor} on \(X\). Next, the author considers the diagram: \[ \begin{tikzcd} \widetilde X \rar["\eta"]\dar["\sigma" '] & \mathbb P(E_1)\dar["\rho"]\\X \rar["\pi" '] & C \rlap{\,,}\end{tikzcd} \] where \(\widetilde X\) is the blow-up of \({\mathbb P}(E/E_1)\) in \(X = {\mathbb P}(E)\), and shows that, for \(0 < i < r_1\), \(\sigma_{\ast}\eta^{\ast} : N^i({\mathbb P}(E_1))\rightarrow N^i(X)\) and \(\eta_{\ast}(\delta \cdot \sigma^{\ast}) : N^i(X) \rightarrow N^i({\mathbb P}(E_1))\) (where \(\delta := \sigma^{\ast}(\xi - \mu (E/E_1)f)^{n-r_1}\)) are isomorphisms inverse to each other and map effective cycles to effective cycles. This is the difficult part of the proof. It allows one to conclude the proof by induction on \(l\). As consequences of the main result, the author shows that if \(E\) is semistable then any pseudo-effective cycle on \({\mathbb P}(E)\) is nef, and that if \(E\) is unstable then, for \(0 <i <n\), \((\xi - \mu (E)f)^i\) is pseudo-effective but not nef. Finally, using the last mentioned result and the restriction theorem of \textit{V. B. Mehta} and \textit{A. Ramanathan} [Math. Ann. 258, 213--224 (1982; Zbl 0473.14001)], the author proves that if \(F\) is a vector bundle on a smooth complex projective variety \(Y\) (of arbitrary dimension), slope unstable with respect to an ample divisor \(H\) on \(Y\), then there exists a pseudo-effective cycle on \({\mathbb P}(F)\) which is not nef. This answers a question posed to the author by Th. Peternell.