Double EPW-sextics with actions of \(\mathcal{A}_7\) and irrational GM threefolds (Q7034751)

Hyperkähler manifolds are one of the building blocks of compact Kähler manifolds with trivial first Chern class, alongside complex tori and strict Calabi-Yau manifolds. In contrast to the latter two, constructing geometric examples of hyperkähler manifolds is a difficult task. Apart from the original constructions, only a few explicit families of hyperkähler manifolds are known. One strategy to construct projective hyperkähler manifolds with desired properties (e.g., high Picard rank) is to exploit symmetries. The existence of such manifolds with a large group of finite-order automorphisms can be deduced from Torelli-type theorems and lattice-theoretic computations. This article contributes to the ongoing effort of giving explicit geometric realizations of such manifolds and describing the corresponding group actions.\N\NA classical family of hyperkähler fourfolds of \(\mathrm{K3}^{[2]}\)-type, locally complete with respect to the period map, is given by the so-called \emph{double EPW-sextics}. These arise as natural ramified double covers of sextic hypersurfaces \(Y_A \subseteq \mathbb{P}(V_6)\), where \(V_6\) is a 6-dimensional complex vector space, associated to a general Lagrangian subspace \(A \subseteq \bigwedge^3 V_6\). Using a lattice-theoretic classification of finite symplectic group actions on hyperkähler fourfolds of \(\mathrm{K3}^{[2]}\)-type due to \textit{G.~Höhn} and \textit{G.~Mason} [Bull. Inst. Math. Acad. Sin. (N.S.) \textbf{14}, No.~2, 189--264 (2019; Zbl 1425.53053)], the authors construct two explicit examples of double EPW-sextics whose symplectic automorphism group contains a copy of the alternating group \(\mathcal{A}_7\).\N\NThe construction proceeds by exhibiting a faithful 20-dimensional representation \(\mathcal{A}_7 \to \mathrm{GL}(\bigwedge^3 V_6)\) that decomposes into two non-isomorphic irreducible 10-dimensional subrepresentations. Each of these determines a Lagrangian subspace \(A_1, A_2 \subseteq \bigwedge^3 V_6\), and the associated double EPW-sextics are shown to be smooth and to admit a faithful symplectic action of \(\mathcal{A}_7\). Moreover, the resulting polarized hyperkähler fourfolds are non-isomorphic.\N\NAs a byproduct of this construction, the authors produce two families of Gushel-Mukai (GM) threefolds associated with the constructed hyperkähler fourfolds. They prove that all members of these families are irrational.\N\NThe article concludes by providing the Macaulay2 code used to verify certain properties of the constructed examples. The motivation, strategy, and techniques employed build upon the work of \textit{O.~Debarre} and \textit{G.~Mongardi} [Boll. Unione Mat. Ital. \textbf{15}, No.~1--2, 133--161 (2022; Zbl 1502.14037)].