7. Geometry of hypersurfaces and complete intersections

Along with V. Srinivas the papers of U. Morin [17] and A. Predonzan [19] were resurrected. In these papers it is shown that a general complete intersection of sufficiently small multidegree is unirational. The method of proof suggested that some further “rational”-like properties could be shown for these varieties.

Recent work of M. V. Nori [18] regarding cohomological connectivity of hypersurfaces generalises earlier results of S. Lefschetz, P. Griffiths, and others. In a slightly different direction cohomological connectivity results for hypersurfaces of low degree have been shown by H. Esnault, M. V. Nori and V. Srinivas [7].

The above two pieces of work tie up with the conjectures of S. Bloch and A. A. Beilinson to suggest some conjectures on the geometry of hypersurfaces and complete intersections in Pn. We formulate and prove some cases of these conjectures.

The first cohomological result is

Theorem 7.1 (S. Lefschetz). Let Y be a smooth complete intersection subvariety of a smooth projective variety X. Then   i          i
H (X, Z ) → H (Y,Z )  is an isomorphism for i < dimY and an injection for i = dimY .

The corresponding conjecture is

Conjecture 7.2 (R. Hartshorne). Let X be a smooth projective variety and Y a complete intersection subvariety, then CHk  (X )  →  CHk (Y)
        Q           Q  is an isomorphism for k < dimY∕2.

We prove a special case this conjecture when X = Pn, in a weakened form

Theorem 7.3. Given a sequence of positive integers d1,,dr and a non-negative integer l. Let Y be a smooth subvariety of Pn of multidegree (d1,,dr). If n is sufficiently large then CHk (P n)Q →  CHk (Y )Q  is an isomorphism for k l.

The second cohomological result

Theorem 7.4 (H. Esnault, M. V. Nori, V. Srinivas). Let X be the zero locus of a collection of homogeneous equations fi of degree di, where d1 ⋅⋅⋅ dr. Then for any i 0 we have  k  i  n             i  n
F H c(P  - X, C) = H c(P  - X, C )  where F denotes the Hodge filtration and

    [    ∑       ]
     n-----rj=2dr-
k =       d1      .

leads to the following

Conjecture 7.5. Let X be a smooth subvariety of Pn of multidegree d1 ⋅⋅⋅ dr, the CHp(X)Q = Q for p < k, with k as above.

We prove a weakened form of this conjecture which generalises earlier results of A. A. Roitman [20]

Theorem 7.6. Given a sequence of positive integers d1,,dr and a non-negative integer l. Let X be a subscheme of Pn of multidegree (d1,,dr). If n is sufficiently large then CH  (Y ) ~= Z
   k  for k l and this group is generated by the class of a linear space Pl X.

The proof for 7.3 uses 7.6 and a generalization of a result of S. Bloch and V. Srinivas [2].