Projective manifolds containing special curves (Q819564)

Let \(X\) be a complex projective manifold of dimension \(n\), and let \(Y\) be a smooth curve embedded in \(X\) such that the normal bundle is ample. In the paper under review, the authors study the \(p\)-th infinitesimal neighbourhood \(Y(p)\) via the restriction map \(\text{Pic}(X) \rightarrow \text{Pic}(Y(p))\). The authors show that the cokernel of this map is a direct sum of the cokernel of the map \(\text{Pic}(X) \rightarrow \text{Pic}(Y)\) and an abelian group \(K_p\), where \(K_p\) is a quotient of the cohomology groups of the symmetric powers of the conormal bundle \(N_{Y/X}^*\). In view of this result it is interesting to study the cohomology groups \(H^1(Y, S^i N_{Y/X}^*)\) and to characterize the boundary cases. The authors show that \(H^1(Y, N_{Y/X}^*)\) is zero if and only if \(Y\) is a quasi-line, that is \(Y\) is a rational curve and the normal bundle is a direct sum of \(O(1)\)'s. If \(H^1(Y, N_{Y/X}^*)\) has dimension equal to one, the curve \(Y\) is either elliptic or rational. If it is elliptic, the normal bundle has degree one and the irregularity of \(X\) is at most 1. If it is rational, the normal bundle is isomorphic to \(O(2) \oplus O(1)^{\oplus n-2}\). If one supposes furthermore that \(X\) is a surface, it is possible to give a complete classification of the pairs \((X,Y)\) up to birational equivalence. The paper contains a lot of examples, it is also interesting to compare it with the preceeding paper \textit{L. Bădescu, M.C. Beltrametti} and \textit{P. Ionescu} [in: Complex analysis and algebraic geometry, 1--27 (2000; Zbl 1078.14010)].