On Lyubeznik type invariants (Q2139829)

Let \(Y\subset X:=\mathbb{A}^n\) be an algebraic variety over a field of characteristic zero \(\mathbb{K}\), given by an ideal \(I\subset R_n:=\mathbb{K}[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\). If \(I\) is homogeneous, let us call \(\tilde{Y}:=\operatorname{Proj}(R_n/I)\) the projective variety associated with \(I\). For any left \(\mathcal{D}_X\)-module \(\mathcal{M}\), we can consider its de Rham cohomology \(H_{\text{dR}}^{\bullet}=\mathbb{H}^{\bullet-n}(X,\omega_X \otimes_{\mathcal{D}_X}^{\mathbf{L}}\mathcal{M})\). Local cohomology has a natural structure of \(\mathcal{D}_X\)-module, so we can consider the cohomologies \(H_{\text{dR}}^p(H_Y^q(R_n))\) for any \(p,q\). Indeed, these form the second page of the so-called Čech-de Rham spectral sequence whose \(r\)-th pages (\(r\geq 2\)) are isomorphic for any embedding \(Y\subset X\). Using this, \textit{N. Bridgland} [``On the size and structure of finite linear groups'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2006.01334}] and \textit{N. Switala} [Compos. Math. 153, No. 10, 2075--2146 (2017; Zbl 1405.13033)] defined the \((r,p,q)\)-Čech-de Rham numbers of \(Y\) as \(\rho_{p,q}^r(Y)=\dim_{\mathbb{K}}(E_r^{n-p,n-q})\). On the other hand, \textit{G. Lyubeznik} proved in [Invent. Math. 113, No. 1, 41--55 (1993; Zbl 0795.13004)] that the socle dimensions of the terms in the second page of the Grothendieck spectral sequence \(E_2^{p,q}=H_{\mathfrak{m}}^p(H_I^q(R_n))\) are independent of the closed embedding of \(Y=\operatorname{Spec}(R_n/I)\) into any affine space. As a consequence, he defined the invariants \(\lambda_{p,q}(R_n/I):= \dim_{\mathbb{C}}\operatorname{Hom}(R_n/\mathfrak{m},_{\mathfrak{m}}^p(H_I^{n-q}(R_n)))\), known nowadays as Lyubeznik numbers. The authors of the paper under review study in detail both families of numbers. First, they discuss first the vanishing of the Čech-de Rham numbers and the collapse of the corresponding spectral sequence. They also study the behaviour of the \(\rho_{p,q}^2\) under Veronese maps and show that, when \(Y\) is the affine cone over a given projective variety \(\tilde{Y}\) and \(p\geq2\), all of them agree with those derived from any Veronese image of the pair \(Y\subset X\). Later, they study how Lyubeznik numbers vary for the affine cone \(Y\) of a given projective variety \(\tilde{Y}\). Namely, they show that all the \(\lambda_{p,q}(Y)\) for \(p\geq 2\) are independent of the embedding, for any projective toric \(\tilde{Y}\) and many interesting cases in which \(\dim\tilde{Y}\leq 4\) or its Picard number is one. All those results provide much insight on the problem of the definition of these numbers for projective varieties. They are achieved thanks to a clever use of \(\mathcal{D}\)-module theory, perverse sheaves and a deep analysis of the geometry of the varieties involved and all the appearing cohomology exact sequences.