English

On the locus of points of high rank

Algebraic Geometry 2017-03-09 v1

Abstract

Given a closed subvariety X in a projective space, the rank with respect to X of a point p in this projective space is the least integer r such that p lies in the linear span of some r points of X. Let W_k be the closure of the set of points of rank with respect to X equal to k. For small values of k such loci are called secant varieties. This article studies the loci W_k for values of k larger than the generic rank. We show they are nested, we bound their dimensions, and we estimate the maximal possible rank with respect to X in special cases, including when X is a homogeneous space or a curve. The theory is illustrated by numerous examples, including Veronese varieties, the Segre product of dimensions (1,3,3), and curves. An intermediate result provides a lower bound on the dimension of any GL_n orbit of a homogeneous form.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1703.02829,
  title  = {On the locus of points of high rank},
  author = {Jarosław Buczyński and Kangjin Han and Massimiliano Mella and Zach Teitler},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1703.02829},
  year   = {2017}
}

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28 pages