Related papers: Rational cuspidal curves in projective surfaces. T…

We construct an explicit K3 surface over the field of rational numbers that has geometric Picard rank one, and for which there is a transcendental Brauer-Manin obstruction to weak approximation. To do so, we exploit the relationship between…

We establish estimates for the number of solutions of certain affine congruences. These estimates are then used to prove Manin's conjecture for a cubic surface split over Q and whose singularity type is D_4. This improves on a result of…

A projective hypersurface is nodal if it does not have singularities worse than simple nodes. We calculate the rational cohomology of the spaces of equations of nodal cubic and quartic plane curves and also nodal cubic surfaces in the…

We develop an obstruction theory for Hirsch extensions of cbba's with twisted coefficients. This leads to a variety of applications, including a structural theorem for minimal cbba's, a construction of relative minimal models with twisted…

We report on recent results concerning the construction of curves on K3 surfaces: the proof of the Tate conjecture for K3 surfaces in odd characteristic (after Maulik, Charles and Madapusi Pera), and the construction of infinitely many…

Fix a K3 lattice $\Lambda$ of rank two and $L\in\Lambda$ a big and nef divisor that is positive enough. We prove that the generic $\Lambda$-polarised K3 surface has an integral nodal rational curve in the linear system $|L|$, in particular…

For any pencil of conics or higher-dimensional quadrics over the rationals, with all degenerate fibres defined over the rationals, we show that the Brauer-Manin obstruction controls weak approximation. The proof is based on the Hasse…

We establish a twistor correspondence between a cuspidal cubic curve in a complex projective plane, and a co-calibrated homogeneous $G_2$ structure on the seven--dimensional parameter space of such cubics. Imposing the Riemannian reality…

In this paper, we consider rational cuspidal plane curves having at least three cusps. We give an upper bound of the self-intersection number of the proper transforms of such curves via the minimal embedded resolution of the cusps. For a…

Combining $2$-descent techniques with Riemann-Roch and B\'ezout's theorems, we give an upper bound on the number of rational points of bounded height on elliptic and hyperelliptic curves over function fields of characteristic $\neq 2$. We…

We show that a real rational (over $\C$) surfaces are quasi-simple, i.e., that such a surface is determined up to deformation in the class of real surfaces by the topological type of its real structure.

In the early 1980's Thurston gave a topological characterization of rational maps whose critical points have finite iterated orbits (\cite{Th,DH1}): given a topological branched covering $F$ of the two sphere with finite critical orbits, if…

Welschinger invariants enumerate real nodal rational curves in the plane or in another real rational surface. We analyze the existence of similar enumerative invariants that count real rational plane curves having prescribed non-nodal…

We study rational curves on algebraic varieties, especially on normal affine varieties endowed with a $\C^*$-action. For varieties with an isolated singularity, we show that the presence of sufficiently many rational curves outside the…

In this paper, we study the deformation theory of degenerate algebraic curves on singular varieties which appear as the degenerate limit of families of varieties. For this purpose, we systematically develop a new method to calculate the…

We bring additional support to the conjecture saying that a rational cuspidal plane curve is either free or nearly free. This conjecture was confirmed for curves of even degree, and in this note we prove it for many odd degrees. In…

We determine all the Kummer-surface-type Calabi-Yau (CY) 3-folds, i.e., those $\hat{T/G}$ which are resolutions of 3-torus-orbifolds $T/G$ with only isolated singularities. There are only two such CY spaces: one with $G= \ZZ_3$ and $T$…

For a uniruled projective manifold, we prove that a general rational curve of minimal degree through a general point is uniquely determined by its tangent vector. As applications, among other things we give a new proof, using no Lie theory,…

In this article, we study isomorphisms between complements of irreducible curves in the projective plane $\mathbb{P}^2$, over an arbitrary algebraically closed field. Of particular interest are rational unicuspidal curves. We prove that if…

This is a survey of the geometry of complex cubic fourfolds with a view toward rationality questions. Topics include classical constructions of rational examples, Hodge structures and special cubic fourfolds, associated K3 surfaces and…