Hirzebruch-Mumford proportionality and locally symmetric varieties of orthogonal type (Q2479730)

Given an integral indefinite lattice \(L\) of signature \((2,n)\) with the associated bilinear form \(f\), let \[ D_L:= \{[w]\mid[w]\in \mathbb{P}(L\otimes \mathbb{C}),\,f(w,w)= 0,\, f(w,\overline w)> 0\}^+ \] be a connected component of the homogeneous type IV complex domain of dimension \(n\) and let \({\mathcal F}_L(\Gamma:= \Gamma\setminus D_L\), where \(\Gamma\)' is a finite index subgroup of \(O^+(L)\), the integral orthogonal group leaving \(D_L\) invariant. Recently the authors [Doc. Math., J. DMV 12, 215--241 (2007; Zbl 1127.11038)] have obtained an exact formula for the Hirzebruch-Mumford volume of the orthogonal group. In another work [Invent. Math., 169, No. 3, 519--567 (2007; Zbl 1128.14027)], the authors prove existence of a good toroidal compactification of the modular variety \({\mathcal F}_L(\Gamma)\). In the reviewed paper, making use of their cited results, the authors determine the Kodaira dimension of some quasi-projective varieties for the two series of even lattices \(2U\oplus mE_8(-1)\) and \(2U\oplus mE_8(-1)\oplus\langle-2d\rangle\), where \(U\) is the hyperbolic plane, \(E_8(-1)\) is the negative definite lattice associated with the root system \(E_8\), \(m\in\mathbb{N}\), and \(\langle-2d\rangle\) stands for the lattice generated by a vector of square \(-2d\). Infinitely many of the varieties studied in the paper turn out to be of general type.