Twisted cubics on singular cubic fourfolds -- on Starr's fibration (Q667618)

The author studies twisted cubics on singular cubic fourfolds. Twisted cubics on smooth cubic fourfolds have been understood in previous work of the author. Let \(Y\) be a singular cubic fourfold in \(\mathbb P^5\) not containing a plane. Let \(M_d(Y)\) be the space of degree-\(d\) generalized rational normal curves in \(Y\), which are flat deformations of the degree-\(d\) rational normal curves. The space \(M_d(Y)\) is an irreducible component of the relevant Hilbert scheme. The main result states that \(M_3(Y)\) admits a contraction to a singular projective symplectic variety of dimension eight which has a crepant resolution deformation equivalent to a symplectic eightfold. This symplectic eightfold is the Hilbert scheme of four points on a \(K3\) surface constructed from twisted cubics on a smooth cubic fourfold. Similar result holds for \(M_1(Y)\) which parametrizes lines in \(Y\). The proof of these results uses symplectic birational models and a construction of A. J. de Jong and J. Starr.