On degenerate secant and tangential varieties and local differential geometry (Q674639)

Let \(X\) be a complex projective algebraic variety. The secant variety of \(X\) is the union of all secant lines to \(X\), while the tangential variety the union of the limits of secants whose intersection points with \(X\) collapse. The author relates the dimensions of these varieties to the local differential geometry of \(X\), in order to reprove Zak's theorem about Severi varieties [\textit{F. L. Zak}, ``Tangents and secants of algebraic varieties'' (Translations of Mathematical Monographs 127, American Mathematical Society, Providence/RI) (1993; Zbl 0795.14018)] and characterizes cases in which either the secant or the tangential variety degenerates (i.e., has dimension less than expected).