Related papers: Rational points of rationally simply connected var…

Under suitable hypotheses, we prove that a form of a projective homogeneous variety $G/P$ defined over the function field of a surface over an algebraically closed field has a rational point. The method uses an algebro-geometric analogue of…

By studying the theory of rational curves, we introduce a notion of rational simple connectedness for projective homogeneous spaces. As an application, we prove that over a function field of an algebraic surface, a projective homogeneous…

We establish a conjecture of Mumford characterizing rationally connected complex projective manifolds in several cases.

A variety is rationally connected if two general points can be joined by a rational curve. A higher version of this notion is rational simple connectedness, which requires suitable spaces of rational curves through two points to be…

A result of Graber, Harris, and Starr shows that a rationally connected variety defined over the function field of a curve over the complex numbers always has a rational point. Similarly, a separably rationally connected variety over a…

The notion of 'slope rational connectedness' is introduced in the context of smooth orbifold pairs. The main result parallels the characterization of the rational connectedness of projective manifolds in terms of either the non-existence of…

Let X be a geometrically rational (or more generally, separably rationally connected) variety over a finite field K. We prove that if K is large enough then X contains many rational curves defined over K. As a consequence we prove that…

Given a morphism between smooth projective varieties $f: W \to X$, we study whether $f$-relatively free rational curves imply the existence of $f$-relatively very free rational curves. The answer is shown to be positive when the fibers of…

This article proves hypersurfaces of degree d in projective n-space are "rationally simply-connected" if $d^2 \leq n$. In a forthcoming paper, de Jong and I prove a slightly weaker result when $d^2 \leq n+1$.

This is an extended version of an invited lecture I gave at the Journees Arithmetiques in St. Etienne in July 2009. We discuss the state of the art regarding the problem of finding the set of rational points on a (smooth projective)…

We consider rationally connected complex projective manifolds M and show that their loop spaces--infinite dimensional complex manifolds--have properties similar to those of M. Furthermore, we give a finite dimensional application concerning…

In this paper, we prove that: For any given finitely many distinct points $P_1,...,P_r$ and a closed subvariety $S$ of codimension $\geq 2$ in a complete toric variety over a uncountable (characteristic 0) algebraically closed field, there…

Any smooth projective curve embeds into $\mathbb{P}^3$. More generally, any curve embeds into a rationally connected variety of dimension at least three. We prove conversely that if every curve embeds in a threefold $X$, then $X$ is…

The Serre conjecture II predicts that every torsor under a semisimple, simply connected, algebraic group over a field of cohomological dimension at most 2 and of degree of imperfection at most 1 has a rational point. We generalize this…

We study self-morphisms of smooth real projective algebraic curves that have only real periodic points. In the case of the projective line we provide a convenient characterization of such morphisms. We derive a semialgebraic description of…

Let U be an open subset of a unirational variety (or more generally of a separably rationally connected variety). We prove that there is rational curve C in U such that the fundamental group of C surjects onto the fundamental group of U.…

Let $K$ be the function field of a smooth curve over an algebraically closed field $k$. Let $X$ be a scheme, which is smooth and projective over $K$. Suppose that the cotangent bundle $\Omega_{X/K}$ is ample. Let $R:={\rm Zar}(X)(K)\cap X)$…

For a given elliptic curve, its associated $L$-function evaluated at $1$ is closely related to its real period. In this article, we generalize this principle to a rational curve. We count the rational points over all finite fields and use…

Let X be a smooth, projective variety defined over a local field K. Following Manin, two K-points of X are called R-equivalent if they can be joined by a rational curve defined over K. The main result of this note shows that if there are…

We study a particular plane curve over a finite field whose normalization is of genus 0. The number of rational points of this curve achieves the Aubry-Perret bound for rational curves. The configuration of its rational points and a…