Connecting certain rigid birational non-homeomorphic Calabi-Yau threefolds via Hilbert scheme (Q842340)

The paper under review gives an explicit example of a pair of Calabi--Yau threefolds \(X\) and \(Y\) such that (1) \(X\) and \(Y\) are birational and rigid, (2) \(X\) and \(Y\) are not homeomorphic, but (3) \(X\) and \(Y\) are connected by a projective flat deformation over some connected scheme. The two Calabi--Yau threefolds satisfying the above properties are constructed as follows. Let \(\zeta=e^{2\pi i/3}\) and let \(E_\zeta = \mathbb{C}/\mathbb{Z} + \zeta\mathbb{Z}\) be the elliptic curve with period \(\zeta\). Let \(Q_0 = 0\), \(Q_1=(1-\zeta)/3\) and \(Q_2=-(1-\zeta)/3\) be the fixed points in \(E_\zeta\) of the scalar multiplication by \(\zeta\) on \(E_\zeta\). Let \(E_\zeta^3/<\zeta >\) be the quotient of the threefold product \(E_\zeta^3\) by the scalar multiplication by \(\zeta\). For \({i, j, k}\in\{0, 1, 2\}\), let \(Q_{ijk} = (Q_i, Q_j, Q_k)\in E_\zeta^3\) and \(\bar{Q}_{ijk}\) to be its image in \(E_\zeta/<\zeta >\). The quotient \(E_\zeta^3/<\zeta >\) has singularities of type \(\frac13 (1, 1, 1)\) at \(\bar{Q}_{ijk}\). Blowing up at these 27 singular points, one gets a rigid Calabi--Yau threefold of \textit{A. Beauville} [Prog. Math. 39, 1--26 (1983; Zbl 0537.53057)], and this is the rigid Calabi--Yau threefold \(X\). Denote by \(E_{ijk}\) the exceptional divisor lying over \(\bar{Q}_{ijk}\), then \(E_{ijk}\) is isomorphic to \(\mathbb{P}^2\). Let \(p : X \to E_\zeta^2/<\zeta >\) be the morphism induced by the projection \(pr_{12} :E_\zeta^3\to E_\zeta^2\). Then \(p^{-1}\bar{Q}_{ij} = l_{ij}\cup E_{ij0}\cup E_{ij1}\cup E_{ij3}\) where \(l_{ij}\) is a smooth rational curve meeting \(E_{ijk}\) transversally. Performing the elementary transformation along \(\bigcup_{i,j} l_{ij}\), one gets a smooth rigid Calabi--Yau threefold of \textit{K. Oguiso} [Math. Z. 221, No. 3, 437--448 (1996; Zbl 0852.14012)], and this is the rigid Calabi--Yau threefold \(Y\). It is shown that \(X\) and \(Y\) are non-homeomorphic, but are connected by a projective flat deformation.