Birationally rigid singular double quadrics and double cubics (Q679871)

Let \(Q \subset \mathbb{P}^{M+1}\), \(M \geq 4\), be a smooth hypersurface of degree \(m \leq 3\). In the paper under review, the author studies double covers \(\sigma: V \longrightarrow Q\), which are Fano varieties of index \(1\). There is a natural parameter space \(\mathcal{I}_m\) for such \(V\) and the locus \(S_m \subset \mathcal{I}_m\) corresponding to factorial \(V\) with terminal singularities. The author proves (see Theorem 1.1 in the text) that the complement \(\overline{\mathcal{I}_m \setminus S_m}\) has codimenision \({M - 4 \choose 2} + 1\) for \(m = 2\) and \(M \geq 6\) (resp. \({M - 6 \choose 2} + 1\) for \(m = 3\) and \(M \geq 8\)). This is proved via the parameter count applied to the locus of all \(V\) that have only quadratic singularities of rank at least \(6\) when \(m = 2\) (resp. at least \(8\) when \(m = 3\) -- there is also an additional regularity assumption in this case). The latter \(V\) turn out to be also birationally superrigid (the claim about singularities follows essentially from [\textit{F. Call} and \textit{G. Lyubeznik}, Contemp. Math. 159, 15--18 (1994; Zbl 0813.13017)]). When \(m = 2\) the proof is immediate via the standard technique of exclusion of maximal centers (see e.g. [\textit{A. Pukhlikov}, Birationally rigid varieties. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2013; Zbl 1297.14001)]). However, for \(m = 3\) one has to consider two separate cases, that of a maximal center \(B\) is contained in the singular locus of \(V\) or not. In the latter situation, studying various cases (when \(\sigma(B) \subset W\) etc.) and applying \(4n^2\)- and \(8n^2\)-inequalities, the author derives a contradiction. Finally, if \(B \subseteq \text{Sing} V\), taking generic \(5\)-dimensional linear section of \(V\) through a point \(o \in B\) and applying the inversion of adjunction, the author concludes that there exists an infinitely close maximal singularity over \(o\) of dimension \(\leq 2\); the latter possibility is excluded case by case.