Limits of stable pairs (Q998628)

Stable surfaces, the two dimensional analogue of stable curves, were introduced by \textit{J. Kollár} and \textit{N. Shepherd-Barron} [Invent. Math. 91, No. 2, 299--338 (1988; Zbl 0642.14008)] in order to compactify the moduli space of surfaces of general type. The author generalized this definition to higher dimensions by defining stable pairs \((X,B)\) and stable maps \(f \colon (X,B) \rightarrow Y\). A pair \((X,B)\) (resp. a map \(f \colon (X,B) \rightarrow Y\)) is called stable if \(X\) is a scheme satisfying Serre's \(S_2\) condition, \(B\) is a \(\mathbb{Q}\)-divisor on \(X\), \((X,B)\) has semi-log-canonical singularities and \(K_X+B\) is \(\mathbb{Q}\)-Cartier and ample (resp. \(f\)-ample). As in the case of surfaces, one defines the moduli functor of stable pairs and maps. After some standard conjectures like the log Minimal Model Program, boundedness and some technical questions have been resolved, the moduli functor of stable pairs (maps) is represented by a proper algebraic space. Properness of the moduli space of stable pairs (maps) follows from the valuative criterion of properness. In particular, let \(0 \in \Delta\) be a pointed smooth curve and \((X_U,B_U) \rightarrow U\), where \(U=\Delta-\{ 0\}\), be a family of stable pairs. The log MMP leads to a completion \((X,B) \rightarrow \Delta\) of this family over \(\Delta\). This is a family of stable pairs iff \(X_0\) is \(S_2\) and \(B_0\) a divisor on \(X_0\). The paper under review studies the last two problems. The author shows that if \((X,B)\) is a log canonical pair and \(D\) an effective Cartier divisor such that \((X,B+tD)\) is log canonical for some \(t>0\), then \(D\) is \(S_2\) and \(\lfloor B \rfloor \cap D\) is \(S_1\) and in particular has no embedded part. From this it immediately follows that if \(X_U\) is normal, then \(X_0\) is \(S_2\) and the scheme \(\lfloor B \rfloor \cap X_0\) is a divisor and hence in this case the valuative criterion for properness is verified if \(B\) is reduced. If \(B\) is not reduced, there are examples that \(B_0\) has embedded part. In order to get around this problem, the author defines the notion of branch pairs and the corresponding moduli functor and proceeds again to verify the valuative criterion of properness.