Related papers: Obstructions to choosing distinct points on cubic …
We study K3 surfaces with 9 cusps, i.e. 9 disjoint $A_2$ configurations of smooth rational curves, over algebraically closed fields of characteristic $p\neq 3$. Much like in the complex situation studied by Barth, we prove that each such…
There are no known failures of Bounded Negativity in characteristic 0. In the light of recent work showing the Bounded Negativity Conjecture fails in positive characteristics for rational surfaces, we propose new characteristic free…
Given a point set, mostly a grid in our case, we seek upper and lower bounds on the number of curves that are needed to cover the point set. We say a curve covers a point if the curve passes through the point. We consider such coverings by…
We bound the maximal number N of singular points of a plane algebraic curve C that has precisely one place at infinity with one branch in terms of its first Betti number $b_1(C)$. Asymptotically we prove that $N<\sim{17/11}b_1(C)$ for large…
We study structures of embedded projective manifolds swept out by cubic varieties. We show if an embedded projective manifold is swept out by high-dimensional smooth cubic hypersurfaces, then it admits an extremal contraction which is a…
We show that the decidability of an amplification of Hilbert's Tenth Problem in three variables implies the existence of uncomputably large integral points on certain algebraic curves. We obtain this as a corollary of a new positive…
As another application of the degeneration methods of [V3], we count the number of irreducible degree $d$ geometric genus $g$ plane curves, with fixed multiple points on a conic $E$, not containing $E$, through an appropriate number of…
In order to study projections of smooth curves, we introduce multifiltrations obtained by combining flags of osculating spaces. We classify all configurations of singularities occurring for a projection of a smooth curve embedded by a…
Using the irreducibility of a natural irreducible representation of the theta group of an ample line bundle on an abelian variety, we derive a bound for the number of $n$-torsion points that lie on a given theta divisor. We present also two…
We find new examples of complex surfaces with countably many non-isomorphic algebraic structures. Here is one such example: take an elliptic curve $E$ in $\mathbb P^2$ and blow up nine general points on $E$. Then the complement $M$ of the…
Given a singular projective variety in some projective space, we characterize the smooth curves contracted by the Gauss map in terms of normal bundles. As a consequence, we show that if the variety is normal, then a contracted line always…
Let $P$ be a set of $n$ points in general position in the plane. Let $R$ be a set of points disjoint from $P$ such that for every $x,y \in P$ the line through $x$ and $y$ contains a point in $R$. We show that if $|R| < \frac{3}{2}n$ and $P…
We study ramified covers of the projective plane. Given a smooth projective surface S and a generic enough projection of S to the projective plane, we get a cover of the plane ramified over a plane curve. The branch curve is usually…
The first part of Hilbert's sixteenth problem deals with the classification of the isotopy types realizable by real plane algebraic curves of a given degree $m$. For $m = 9$, the classification of the $M$-curves is still wide open. Let…
We report on the problem of the existence of complex and real algebraic curves in the plane with prescribed singularities up to analytic and topological equivalence. The question is whether, for a given positive integer $d$ and a finite…
We study lines and twisted cubics on cubic fourfolds with simple isolated singularities. We show that the Hilbert scheme compactification of the total space of Starr's fibration on the space of twisted cubics on a cubic fourfold with simple…
In this paper, we contribute toward a classification of two-variable polynomials by classifying (up to an automorphism of $C^2$) polynomials whose Newton polygon is either a triangle or a line segment. Our classification has several…
We give optimal lower bounds for the number of sextactic points on a simple closed curve in the real projective plane. Sextactic points are after inflection points the simplest projectively invariant singularities on such curves. Our method…
Consider a smooth, geometrically irreducible, projective curve of genus $g \ge 2$ defined over a number field of degree $d \ge 1$. It has at most finitely many rational points by the Mordell Conjecture, a theorem of Faltings. We show that…
In this paper we classify non-symplectic automorphisms of order 8 on complex K3 surfaces in case that the fourth power of the automorphism has only rational curves in its fixed locus. We show that the fixed locus is the disjoint union of a…