Quadratic varieties of small codimension (Q6956531)

Let \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^{n+c}\) be a nondegenerate smooth complex projective variety of dimension \(n\). Hartshorne's conjecture states that if \(n \geq 2c+1\) then \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^{n+c}\) is a complete intersection. This conjecture has been proved for varieties defined by quadratic equations in [\textit{P. Ionescu} and \textit{F. Russo}, Am. J. Math. 135, No. 2, 349--360 (2013; Zbl 1271.14055)] where a classification of varieties reaching the bound \(n=2c\) and not being a complete intersection is also provided. The paper under review deals with the case \(n=2c-1\). In fact, see Thm. 1.2, such \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^{n+c}\), \(n=2c-1\), is projectively equivalent to one of the varieties of the following list: (i) the Segre embedding of \({\mathbb P}^1 \times {\mathbb P}^2\) in \({\mathbb P}^5\); (ii) a hyperplane section of the Plücker embedding \({\mathbb G}(1,4) \subset {\mathbb P}^9\) of the Grassmannian of lines in \({\mathbb P}^4\); a hyperplane section of the embedding \(S^{10} \subset {\mathbb P}^{15}\) of the Spinor variety \(S^{10}\) of \(4\)-dimensional linear spaces in (one of the two families of) a smooth quadric of dimension \(8\); (iv) a Fano variety \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^{17}\) of dimension \(11\) and Fano index \(8\) whose Hilbert scheme of lines through a general point is described.