On varieties of almost minimal degree. III: Tangent spaces and embedding scrolls (Q649852)

Let \(X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) be a non degenerate irreducible projective variety (over an algebraically closed field). If deg\((X)=\)codim\((X)+2\) then \(X\) is said to be a variety of almost minimal degree. It is known that these varieties are of one of these two types: (1) \(X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) is linearly normal and \(X\) is normal; (2) \(X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) is not linearly normal or \(X\) is not normal. Moreover if (1) holds then \(X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) is a normal Del Pezzo variety and if (2) occurs then \(X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) is the projection of a minimal degree variety \(\tilde X \subset {\mathbb{P}}^{r+1}\) of codimension greater than or equal to 2 from a closed point \(p \in {\mathbb{P}}^{r+1} \setminus \tilde X\). The paper under review is concerned with local aspects varieties of this type (2). First (see Section 3) it is shown that if \(X\) is not normal and \(x \in X\) is not a vertex then the dimension of the tangent to \(X\) at \(x\) is \(2\dim(X)+2-\mathrm{depth}(X)\), being depth\((X)\) the artihmetic depth of \(X\) (cf. Theorem 3.9). Moreover the multiplicity of \(x\) is \(2\). Second (see Section 5 and 6) a study of the embedding scrolls \(Y \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) is provided. These are defined for \(\deg(X) \geq 5\) as scrolls \(Y \subset {\mathbb{P}}^r\) containing \(X\) with \(\dim(Y)=\dim(X)+1\) (let us recall that their existence is known). It is shown that when \(X\) is not a cone singular embedding scrolls are always of the type \(\mathrm{Join}(\mathrm{Sing}(X),X)\) and either smooth embedding scrolls do not exist (\(2 \leq \mathrm{depth}(X) \leq \dim(X)\)) or are precisely described (\(\mathrm{depth}(X) = \dim(X)+1\)). When \(X\) is smooth all its embedding scrolls are smooth and the problem of their description is open. For part I, II, cf. [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 214, No. 11, 2033--2043 (2010; Zbl 1196.14047); Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 139, No. 6, 2025-2032 (2011; Zbl 1215.14052)].