Mori dream spaces of Calabi-Yau type and log canonicity of Cox rings

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Publication:2018383



Abstract: We prove that a Mori dream space over a field of characteristic zero is of Calabi-Yau type if and only if its Cox ring has at worst log canonical singularities. By slightly modifying the arguments we also reprove the characterization of the varieties of Fano type by the log terminality of the Cox rings.


\textit{Y. Hu} and \textit{S. Keel} [Mich. Math. J. 48, 331--348 (2000; Zbl 1077.14554)] introduced the notion of Cox ring generalizing the \textit{D. A. Cox}'s homogeneous coordinates ring of projective toric varieties [J. Algebr. Geom. 4, No. 1, 17--50 (1995; Zbl 0846.14032); erratum ibid. 23, No. 2, 393--398 (2014)]. Let \(X\) be an integral normal scheme over an algebraically closed field \(k\), assume that the divisor class group \(\mathrm{Cl}(X)\) is finitely generated. Then the Cox ring of \(X\) is defined as \[ \bigoplus_{(n_1, \dots, n_r \in \mathbb{Z}^r)} H^0(X, \mathcal{O}_X(n_1D_1 + \dots + n_rD_r)), \] where \(\{ D_1, \dots, D_r \}\) is a basis for \(\mathrm{Cl}(X)\). If the Cox ring of \(X\) is finitely generated over \(k\), then \(X\) is a \textit{Mori Dream Space}. One of the easiest examples of Mori Dream Spaces are projective toric varieties. Their Cox rings are isomorphic to polynomial rings [Zbl 0846.14032]. The converse is also true [Zbl 1077.14554]. In this way it is possible to characterize Mori Dream Spaces through the properties of their Cox rings. It has been proved [\textit{C. Birkar} et al., J. Am. Math. Soc. 23, No. 2, 405--468 (2010; Zbl 1210.14019)], that any \(\mathbb{Q}\)-factorial variety of Fano type is a Mori Dream Space. In [J. Algebr. Geom. 24, No. 1, 159--182 (2015; Zbl 1444.14044)], \textit{Y. Gongyo} et al. characterize Fano type varieties as Mori Dream Spaces whose Cox rings have at worst log terminal singularities. In the paper under review the authors consider the Calabi-Yau type case, their main theorem is the following. Theorem. Let \(X\) be a Mori Dream Space over a field of characteristic zero. Then \(X\) is of Calabi-Yau type if and only if the Cox ring of \(X\) has at worst log canonical singularities. Unlike the Fano type case, not every Calabi-Yau type variety is a Mori Dream Space, for example in [Compos. Math. 146, No. 4, 964--998 (2010; Zbl 1197.14040)], \textit{M. Artebani} et al. proved that a \(K3\) surface is a Mori Dream Space if and only if its automorphism group is finite.











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