Hypercohomology 2026-10-14
Hypercohomology applies the derived global-section functor to a complex of sheaves. One may resolve the complex by an injective double complex, take global sections, and take the cohomology of its total complex. For a complex concentrated in degree zero it is ordinary sheaf cohomology. The relative de Rham complex uses this construction to compute fibre cohomology and its Hodge filtration.
Infinite negative-twist sum with zero global sections Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
On the projective line, an infinite direct sum of copies of is a quasi-coherent sheaf but not a coherent sheaf: at any point its residue-vector-space dimension is infinite. Its global sections vanish because each summand has no sections, and sections commute with direct sums for the finite two-chart equalizer. Its direct image sheaf on is consequently zero and coherent. This shows that a nonaffine direct image can lose information needed to detect coherence.
Injective resolution of sheaves Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
An injective resolution is an exact sequence starting with a sheaf and continuing with injective sheaves. It is constructed by successively embedding each quotient in an injective sheaf. Taking global sections and then cohomology computes sheaf cohomology; in particular an injective sheaf has zero higher cohomology.
Internal Hom sheaf 2026-10-14
For sheaves of modules on a ringed space, the internal Hom sheaf assigns to an open the module of sheaf morphisms respecting . Compatible morphisms glue, so this is a sheaf. Its global sections are precisely the global module-sheaf morphisms. For a locally free sheaf of finite rank it is .
Kernels of quasi-coherent sheaf morphisms 2026-10-14
On an affine scheme, a morphism between quasi-coherent sheaves is determined by the induced map on global sections, because its maps on principal open subsets are their localizations. Exactness of localization gives the displayed identity. Thus the kernel sheaf of a morphism between quasi-coherent sheaves is quasi-coherent on an arbitrary scheme, by applying the affine argument locally. No finite generation is needed.
Linear equivalence of Cartier divisors 2026-10-05
Two Cartier divisors are linearly equivalent when their difference is a principal Cartier divisor. Their associated line bundles are then isomorphic, so their global section spaces have the same dimension. This definition works in every dimension.
For a quasi-compact separated scheme and a global regular function , global sections on are the localization of global sections by . Choose a finite affine open cover. Its intersections are affine, so the sheaf gluing axiom describes global sections as the kernel of the difference map between two finite products of affine coordinate rings. Exactness of localization preserves this kernel, and localization commutes with those finite products. Localizing the same cover gives the claimed isomorphism. This applies before knowing whether itself is affine.
Nonaffineness of a punctured affine plane 2026-10-06
The punctured affine plane is not an affine scheme. On its cover , global sections are inside the field of fractions. Coprimality of and proves this equality. If were affine, its inclusion into would be an isomorphism by affine scheme reconstruction from global sections, contradicting the omitted point.
Normal sheaf 2026-10-14
For a closed immersion with ideal sheaf , the normal sheaf is . It is the dual of the conormal sheaf. For a regular embedding it is a locally free sheaf; in the smooth case it agrees with the normal bundle. Without regularity it need not be locally free, but its global sections still classify first-order embedded deformations.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 4 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a projective scheme over , define its Hilbert functor on -schemes by assigning to the set of closed subschemes such that is a flat morphism of finite presentation and is proper. For projective , the properness is automatic for these closed families. A morphism sends a family to ; base change preserves the required properties, making this a contravariant functor. The embedding in is part of the data, so these are embedded families rather than families modulo automorphisms of .
Choose a very ample line bundle on . In a flat projective family of finite presentation the fibre Hilbert polynomial is locally constant. Requiring polynomial gives a subfunctor represented by ; the unrestricted Hilbert functor is represented by the disjoint union over . For the specified , use its polynomial and let be the resulting -point of the Hilbert scheme .
A Zariski tangent space vector at is a -morphismwhose restriction to is . Here is the ring of dual numbers. Locally such a morphism sends to , where , so these morphisms form the vector space . By the representing property of the Hilbert scheme, the same tangent vector is exactly a first-order embedded deformationwith the last equality an equality of embedded closed subschemes.
Let be the ideal sheaf of , and define its normal sheaf byThis definition is valid even when or is singular; it need not give a locally free sheaf. We now derive the tangent-space identification by constructing inverse maps, rather than merely invoking the normal sheaf's name.
Work on an affine open subscheme , put , and let define a flat deformation with special fibre . The flatness criterion over dual numbers says that a -module is flat exactly whenFlatness implies this by tensoring . Conversely lift a -basis of to . It generates over : after removing the linear combination representing an element modulo , the remainder is times another element, whose residue is another finite basis combination. For independence, reduce a relation modulo to remove its constant coefficients. The remaining relation says that a linear combination of the lifts belongs to the kernel of , hence to , so its remaining coefficients vanish modulo too. The lifts are a free -basis, establishing flatness.
Applying this criterion to givesIndeed follows by lifting each to and multiplying by . Conversely, if , then the class of is in the kernel of on , hence in ; reducing modulo gives .
For , choose a lift and defineTwo lifts differ by an element of , so this is well defined. Addition and multiplication of lifts by elements of prove that is -linear. For , one has in , so it factors through an element of .
Conversely, for such a homomorphism defineThis is an ideal: multiplying by gives , and . Its reduction is . To prove that its quotient is flat, suppose . The condition says . Choose lifting ; then , soThus the kernel of is its image, and the criterion proves flatness. These constructions are inverse: the graph condition reconstructs every lift in , and changes by account for all choices.
Localization respects both constructions. The local maps therefore glue exactly to global sections of the internal Hom sheaf ; conversely such a section gives compatible local ideals that glue to . HenceThe middle identification uses that every map to kills . The zero map gives the product deformation ; addition and scalar multiplication of the maps give the canonical vector-space operations on the tangent space. This proves the Zariski tangent space of a Hilbert scheme formula without a smoothness or regular-embedding hypothesis.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 15 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be a separated Noetherian scheme over a field and a coherent sheaf. Coherent cohomology studies the groups : global sections in degree zero and the obstructions to gluing local sections in higher degrees. Coherence means finite generation locally, and on a Noetherian scheme it is preserved by kernels, cokernels and extensions. This makes coherent sheaves suitable for exact-sequence calculations.
For an ordered open cover , the Čech cochain groups arewith differentialEach double omission occurs twice with opposite signs, so . The Čech cohomology of the cover is , and taking the direct limit over refinements defines cover-independent Čech cohomology. In degree zero the sheaf gluing axiom identifies it with .
The comparison with derived-functor sheaf cohomology is particularly effective algebraically. Positive-degree cohomology of a quasi-coherent sheaf on an affine scheme vanishes. A separated scheme has affine intersections of affine opens, so a finite affine cover is acyclic for . Its Čech cochain complex consequently computes directly. For a short exact sequence of sheaves, sections over each affine intersection are exact on quasi-coherent sheaves. The resulting short exact sequence of Čech complexes gives the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology. In particular, the connecting map measures the failure of a global section of the quotient to lift globally.
Several central projective results make the theory finite and computable. On a projective variety over , every coherent cohomology group is finite-dimensional. The Grothendieck vanishing theorem gives for . If is ample, Serre vanishing gives for sufficiently large , and these large twists are globally generated sheaves. On projective space a coherent sheaf has a finite twisting resolution of a coherent sheaf on projective space: finite sums of resolve it. The explicit line-bundle cohomology below and the long exact sequences prove finiteness and positive-twist vanishing. For a closed embedding , is coherent and , reducing these results to projective space. A sufficiently positive twist of a finite presentation by sums of also proves global generation.
The Euler characteristic of a coherent sheafis therefore defined, and the long exact sequence makes it additive. With a fixed projective embedding, is its Hilbert polynomial, and for sufficiently large it equals . On a smooth projective variety of dimension , Serre duality gives, for a vector bundle ,For an arbitrary coherent sheaf the correct counterpart is ; replacing this Ext group indiscriminately by the cohomology of the ordinary sheaf dual would lose local extension information.
We now calculate the basic examples. For , use the standard cover of . Sections of on an intersection are degree- Laurent monomials in which negative exponents are allowed only for coordinates inverted on that intersection. Decompose the Čech cochain complex by exponent vectors with sum . If no exponent is negative, the corresponding simplex complex contributes only in degree zero. If all exponents are negative, the monomial occurs only on the full intersection and contributes only in degree . When the negative-index set is nonempty and proper, inserting any index outside it gives a contracting homotopy, so the monomial complex is acyclic. Hence the cohomology of twisting sheaves on projective space isIn the top group a basis consists of the Laurent monomials with every exponent at most . Writing reduces the count to nonnegative solutions of , giving the displayed binomial coefficient. In particular, all intermediate cohomology vanishes, and agrees with Serre duality. For separately, every twist is trivial and .
On the projective line this givesThus positive and negative degrees produce quite different groups, while their alternating difference is a single polynomial. The twisted cubic is isomorphic to and its hyperplane bundle corresponds to . Consequently for , agreeing with Q2, and .
For a smooth plane curve of degree , the ideal-sheaf sequence of a projective hypersurface isThe long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and the preceding formula give and . ThereforeFor this is zero; for a plane cubic it is one. Twisting the same exact sequence gives . These examples illustrate how Čech cohomology, vanishing, Serre duality and exact sequences convert local equations into global numerical invariants.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 21 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be the smooth algebraic curve. A nonzero regular section of a line bundle has an effective zero divisor, so its degree of a line bundle is nonnegative. Degrees add under tensor products and change sign on taking the dual. We use genuine line subbundles, so their quotients in are locally free. Both bounds can be proved constructively.
For the upper bound, take a rational frame of over the function field of . Its two members are rational sections with only finitely many poles. Choose an effective divisor large enough to bound the pole orders of both rational sections. They become global sections of and define a sheaf mapwhich is an isomorphism at the generic point. It is therefore injective as a sheaf map: a section in its kernel would vanish generically in a locally free sheaf, which is a torsion-free sheaf. For any line subbundle , at least one of its two component maps into is nonzero. Such a map is a nonzero global section of . Its zero divisor on an algebraic curve is effective, soThis upper degree bound for line subbundles on a smooth curve depends only on a choice made for , and applies to every one of its line subbundles.
For the lower-bound question we will actually construct subbundles for every sufficiently large integer , where is a fixed point. First prove the globally generated vector bundle property rather than assuming that negative-degree inclusions automatically are subbundles.
Apply the upper-bound argument to the rank-two vector bundle , where is the canonical bundle. Let be its upper degree bound. Choose with . For any point , a nonzero global section of would give a nonzero mapIts image can be saturated to a saturated line subbundle on a smooth curve . Locally the local ring of a smooth algebraic curve is a discrete valuation ring: dividing out the common power of a uniformizer makes the image a primitive rank-one summand, and its quotient is free. Thus the saturation is indeed a subbundle. The original map gives a nonzero global section of and consequently , contradicting the upper bound. Hence for every . By Serre duality,The exact sequenceand its long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology show that evaluation is onto for every . This proves the global generation of positive twists on a smooth curve with one bound on that works at every point.
Write and . The evaluation map is surjective with kernel bundle of rank . Consider the incidence subsetIt is the total space of this kernel bundle, so . Its projection into is closed because is proper, and its image has dimension at most . Choose outside this proper closed subset. It vanishes nowhere. In a local trivialization at any point, one component of is a unit, so it can be completed to a basis. Therefore is a subbundle with a locally free rank-one quotient. Twisting back givesThis proves the unbounded negative degrees of line subbundles. The nowhere-vanishing construction guarantees a subbundle at every point, including the zeros that might otherwise have occurred in a generic meromorphic inclusion. If the curve has several connected components, apply these constructions on each component and add the degrees; the same upper-bound and no-lower-bound conclusions follow.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 80 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Choose a nonconstant element of the function field . By Question 1 it gives a finite morphism . The inverse images and are affine, because the inverse image of an affine under a finite morphism is the spectrum of a finite algebra over its coordinate ring. They cover . This proves the two-affine cover of a smooth projective curve assertion.
Their intersection is affine by Question 2. Thus the Čech cochain complex for any coherent sheaf has just two nonzero terms,It follows that
On the projective line, put on the first chart. The twisting sheaf on projective space has frames and , with on the intersection; these are frame symbols also for negative . In the frame the differential of the Čech cochain complex isA global section is therefore a Laurent polynomial in both and . Its monomials have exponents . For the sections have basis ; for there are none. The first sheaf cohomology isIts basis consists of the monomials with . These are precisely the exponents missed by the two chart spaces. Thus for every integer ,Both groups vanish at ; all higher groups vanish for every . This is also an explicit calculation of the Čech cohomology of twists on the projective line.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 80 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The printed vanishing claim needs the restriction . On with and , Question 3 gives for every . Thus no bound on the degree of a divisor can force vanishing in degree zero. We prove finiteness in every degree and the corrected vanishing in every positive degree, uniformly over all divisors on an algebraic curve of large degree.
First take a finite morphism as in Question 3 and put . The direct image sheaf is coherent: on an affine chart its module is finitely generated over a finite algebra and hence over the chart's coordinate ring. The two affine-cover Čech cochain complexes for on and for on are identical. Therefore
We need an elementary presentation of any coherent sheaf on the projective line. Choose finitely many generators on each of its two standard affine charts. A generator on the first chart restricts to an element of the second chart's module localized at . Multiplication by a sufficiently large power of brings that element into the second chart's module. Since the transition of is , this makes the original generator extend to a global section of . A generator on the second chart similarly extends after clearing its denominator at . Use one common exponent for all the finitely many generators. The extended sections generate on both charts. Untwisting gives a surjectionwith coherent kernel . The long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and Question 3 show that is a quotient of the finite-dimensional , since . Apply the same presentation argument to to obtain finiteness of . Then the segment proves finiteness of . Higher groups vanish by Question 3. Hence every is finite-dimensional.
Next establish a useful degree estimate without using the duality requested later. A global regular function on is constant: a nonconstant one would give a finite morphism by Question 1. Such a morphism is surjective, because its closed image contains the generic point, but a regular function misses , a contradiction. Thus . Write , the genus of a smooth projective curve. For any divisor on an algebraic curve and point , the local discrete valuation ring givesThe last term is a length-one skyscraper sheaf. Additivity of the Euler characteristic of a coherent sheaf and repeated addition or subtraction of points giveThe inequality follows because is nonnegative, and is sufficient for the following argument.
Fix . For this estimate gives at least two independent sections of , one of them the constant section. A nonconstant section is a rational function on an algebraic variety whose poles are confined to . It must have a pole there, since a globally regular function is constant. Its extension is finite, and its inverse image of is exactly . Consequently is affine.
Let be the torsion subsheaf of and let . The support of is finite; such a coherent sheaf is a finite direct sum of sheaves supported at points and has zero higher sheaf cohomology. The torsion-free sheaf is locally free: a finitely generated torsion-free module over a discrete valuation ring is free. Tensoring by any invertible sheaf is exact, so
The inclusions have point-supported quotients. Their long exact sequences in sheaf cohomology therefore give surjections on . Moreovera section regular away from has some finite pole order at . Compute this direct limit on a finite affine cover of . All its intersections with are affine by Question 2, and localization commutes with filtered direct limits. The Čech cochain complex consequently givesThe maps from to these groups are surjective. Choose a finite basis of this starting vector space. Each basis vector becomes zero at some stage in the direct limit; one common stage kills the entire basis. Thus there exists with .
Now let be any divisor on an algebraic curve with . The estimate above gives . A nonzero section identifies with an effective divisor up to linear equivalence of divisors. Hence . Adding gives a point-supported quotient of , so its first sheaf cohomology is a quotient of . We have proved uniform high-degree vanishing on a smooth projective curve:This bound concerns all high-degree divisors, not only multiples of a previously chosen divisor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put , the quotient sheaf of abelian groups. At a closed point , the discrete valuation gives an isomorphismIndeed, a local parameter on a smooth algebraic curve has valuation one, and the valuation kernel is precisely the unit group of the discrete valuation ring. Thus a local section represented by determines its local principal divisor, and changing by a regular function which is a unit does not change those coefficients.
These local valuations identify with . To see that they give finite support, represent a section locally by finitely many rational functions on an algebraic variety, using Noetherian Zariski topology to take a finite cover. Each representative has only finitely many zeros and poles, so their combined support is finite. Conversely, for , choose at each support point a local parameter and shrink its neighbourhood to exclude every other zero or pole of and every other support point. The local rational equation represents the desired valuations there; on the complement of the support use . On overlaps these equations differ by units, so their classes glue in the quotient sheaf. Finally, a section with every valuation zero has zero germ everywhere and is the identity section. Hence the identification is both surjective and injective.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 1 Solution 2026-10-14
Let be open subsets, and let . The assumed flasque-kernel section-lifting lemma lifts to . Since is a flabby sheaf, extend to a section on , then project to . Its restriction is . Thus every restriction map of is surjective, proving that the quotient of two flabby sheaves in a short exact sequence is flabby.
For the construction of sheaf cohomology, embed a sheaf of abelian groups into the sheafby sending a section to all its germs. This is injective because a section with every germ zero is zero. Arbitrary families of stalk elements glue point by point, and restriction maps are projections; hence is a flabby sheaf. Set , and . Compose the quotient map with the next embedding to obtain the flasque resolutionThe sheaf cohomology groups are the cohomology groups of the resulting cochain complex of global sections:The usual comparison of resolutions identifies this construction with the right derived functors of global sections; the construction above is the Godement resolution.
If is itself a flabby sheaf, the quotient argument shows inductively that every is flabby. The assumed lifting result therefore makesan exact sequence for every . The global-section complex is consequently exact in every positive degree. In particular,This establishes the vanishing from the section-lifting property rather than assuming it in advance.
For the smooth algebraic curve , a divisor on an algebraic curve is a finite formal sum of closed points with integer coefficients. At each closed point, the local ring of a smooth algebraic curve is a discrete valuation ring; write its normalized discrete valuation as . For the principal divisor is . Only finitely many coefficients are nonzero: zeros and poles are proper closed subsets in the Noetherian Zariski topology of a curve. The divisor class group is the abelian groupEquivalently, its elements are divisors on an algebraic curve modulo linear equivalence of divisors.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A quasi-coherent sheaf is a sheaf of modules which locally has a presentation by free module sheaves:where the index sets may be infinite. Equivalently, on affine neighbourhoods it is an affine module sheaf. A coherent sheaf is locally finitely generated, with the additional requirement that the kernel of every map from a finite free module sheaf is locally finitely generated. On a Noetherian scheme, these conditions are equivalent to being locally associated with a finitely generated module.
For an affine variety with coordinate ring and an -module , setRestriction on principal open subsets is the natural module localization map. On an arbitrary open subset, sections are families of these stalk values locally represented by a single fraction from a localization. This constructs the affine module sheaf; its global sections are . Choose a free-module presentation . Exactness of localization and its compatibility with direct sums yieldThus is a quasi-coherent sheaf, without a finite-generation assumption.
We now prove coherence of an affine module sheaf. If is finitely generated, take a surjection . Since is a Noetherian ring, its kernel is finitely generated, so has a finite presentation of a module. More generally, on every principal affine open, the kernel of a map is a submodule of a finite free module over the Noetherian ring , and is finitely generated. On sheafifying, this verifies both parts of the definition of a coherent sheaf.
Conversely, if is coherent, choose a finite principal-open cover on which it has finitely many generators. Write those local generators as . Their numerators generate a finite submodule of , and for every . To check that , let . Each equality after localization gives an exponent such that . The ideal generated by the is the unit ideal: otherwise a maximal ideal containing all of them would give a point outside the principal-open cover. A linear combination of these powers equal to consequently annihilates . Every is zero, proving
Next consider a morphism between quasi-coherent sheaves. On an affine open of the target variety, use the assumed affine module-sheaf equivalence to write , with . The sheaf morphism is the sheafification of the module map . Indeed, its action on a section of a principal open is forced by module-linearity and restriction to be . Therefore exactness of localization givesThese identities are compatible with restriction, so . Since this holds on an affine cover, the kernel sheaf is quasi-coherent on every variety. This proof of kernels of quasi-coherent sheaf morphisms does not assert that taking global sections is right exact.
For direct image along a morphism of affine varieties, write with coordinate ring , with coordinate ring , and let be the induced ring homomorphism. If on , regard as an -module by restriction of scalars. For ,The last equality identifies localization with the scalar action of . It identifies the direct image sheaf with the affine module sheaf of the restricted module, so is quasi-coherent.
Suppose is affine and is a finite affine cover. Since a variety is separated, every is affine: it is identified with the inverse image of the closed diagonal morphism inside the affine product . Write and . Form the morphism of sheaves of modulesBoth sums are finite, and every summand is quasi-coherent by the affine calculation. For every open , the sheaf gluing axiom on identifies the kernel of this map on sections with . HenceThe kernel result proved above establishes quasi-coherence.
Finally, for arbitrary , take an affine neighbourhood and apply the preceding argument to . The open subset is again a variety and has a finite affine cover, because varieties have Noetherian Zariski topology. The restriction of to is exactly the direct image for this restricted morphism. ThusThe finiteness and separation conditions are the relevant hypotheses, not affineness of the original source or target. More generally, quasi-coherence of direct image under a quasi-compact quasi-separated morphism is valid. If one permits nonseparated finite-type prevarieties, each overlap in the argument has a finite affine cover; replacing its summand by the sum of direct images from these charts gives the same kernel, since agreement can be tested on a cover. This also proves the assertion in that convention. It does not extend by this argument to arbitrary spaces with an unrestricted infinite cover.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let with its usual grading, and put . Define the twisting sheaf on projective space byMore explicitly, on its sections are the homogeneous degree- part of . They are a free rank-one module over , with generator . These generators make sense for every integer , since is invertible on this chart. Their transition rule isThe ratios are regular units on overlaps and satisfy the cocycle identity, so they glue to an invertible sheaf. In particular .
For , a global section is a compatible homogeneous degree- rational expression lying in every . Inside the fraction field of ,To justify this, write a fraction in lowest terms in the unique factorization domain . Membership in forces every irreducible divisor of its denominator to be associated with . Since there are at least two nonassociated variables, the denominator must be a unit. ThereforeThe degree- monomials are indexed by nonnegative integers with sum . The stars and bars count givesHere and below, an all-integer binomial shorthand must use the counting convention when , including negative . The polynomial extension of binomial coefficients to negative upper arguments does not give the stated dimensions. In dimension zero, is one point and every is trivial, so its space of global sections is for every ; this case is treated separately.
For a closed inclusion , direct image sheaf formation is exact: its stalk is the original stalk at a point of and zero outside . It preserves flabby sheaves, since restrictions on the target are restrictions between the corresponding open subsets of . Push forward a flasque resolution of ; exactness gives a flasque resolution of , and its complex of global sections is the original one becauseTaking cohomology of these identical complexes proves sheaf cohomology under a closed inclusion:This argument applies even without quasi-coherence.
We derive the remaining sheaf cohomology dimensions using the given eventual vanishing, the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology, and induction on dimension. Multiplication by the linear equation of a hyperplane gives the hyperplane exact sequence for twisting sheavesExactness can be checked in each chart by quotienting its polynomial ring by the equation of ; multiplication is injective because that equation is a non-zero-divisor. We use the closed-inclusion cohomology identification to replace the cohomology of the final sheaf by that on .
The dimension-zero base is a point, whose global-section functor is exact. Thus all its higher sheaf cohomology is zero. For , the relevant long exact sequence isWhen , restriction of homogeneous polynomials to the hyperplane point is surjective: after choosing that point as , the section restricts to a generator. Therefore the consecutive groups are isomorphic for . The given vanishing for large propagates down to . For , both displayed groups are zero, and the sequence becomesStarting with , induction downward gives for . For degrees , the point contributes no cohomology to the exact sequence, so consecutive groups are isomorphic for every ; the given eventual vanishing makes them all zero. Hence the complete positive-degree formula holds for .
Now let and assume the formulas for . For every , the restrictionis surjective: for extend a polynomial in the hyperplane coordinates to the same polynomial on , and for both groups vanish because has positive dimension. Consequently the exact sequence gives an injectionFor , the induction hypothesis says , and gives the same injection in degree . For each fixed , composing finitely many injections reaches a sufficiently large twist, whose higher cohomology is zero by the given hypothesis. ThereforeFor , the two neighbouring hyperplane groups and are zero by induction. Consecutive groups on are then isomorphic, and eventual vanishing again makes them zero. This derives vanishing above the dimension too, without needing a special projective-space cohomology theorem.
For top cohomology the exact sequence now reduces toWrite . The induction hypothesis and eventual vanishing give the recurrenceConsecutive top groups agree for , so descending from a large twist gives for . Below this range, iterating the recurrence gives a finite sum:The last equality follows by summing Pascal's identity. These short exact sequences also prove that every group whose dimension is being counted is finite-dimensional. Thus, for ,With the stated counting convention, the latter is the requested single binomial formula. The base has for all twists and no higher cohomology; it is not governed by the negative-twist rule for positive-dimensional projective space.
Finally calculate the canonical line bundle of a smooth variety from its transition functions. On write for . On , , take the coordinates in increasing order of . ThusIn their wedge product, and
. Every term involving a second vanishes, so reordering the remaining differentials givesThis computation is valid in every characteristic. Multiply the ordered local generator on by . The resulting generators satisfy on , and hence the corresponding transition rule on every overlap. They are exactly the transitions of . Therefore the canonical bundle of projective space is
. Every term involving a second vanishes, so reordering the remaining differentials givesThis computation is valid in every characteristic. Multiply the ordered local generator on by . The resulting generators satisfy on , and hence the corresponding transition rule on every overlap. They are exactly the transitions of . Therefore the canonical bundle of projective space is
For a line bundle, Serre duality statesThe intermediate groups on both sides vanish. In the two outer degrees, the top group at twist has the same dimension as the global-section group at twist :The polynomial degree on the right is nonnegative precisely when , and its dimension is . Interchanging and checks the other outer degree. On both sides are one-dimensional. Thus all the formulas are consistent with Serre duality, which was used only for this final consistency check, not to prove the cohomology formulas.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 21 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Work over , and let be a smooth projective curve of genus and gonality three. A trigonal curve has a basepoint-free degree-three pencil, giving a finite morphism of degree three. It is not hyperelliptic, so its canonical map is an embedding. Let , including its scheme multiplicities. The complete pencil has , and Riemann-Roch theorem givesThus the quotient of canonical sections evaluated on has dimension two, and spans a line in . This argument includes ramified fibres, rather than treating only three distinct points.
These two-dimensional quotients vary in a globally generated rank-two bundle on . More explicitly, the image ofhas constant rank two by the preceding dimension count, so it is a subbundle. The equality of the rank at every fibre justifies the bundle construction. On global sections it contains every canonical section, and therefore . The Birkhoff–Grothendieck theorem givesGlobal generation forces nonnegative splitting degrees. Since ,The natural map from to is a surjection at every point, since the canonical system has no base points. By projectivization by quotients it gives a map over , with . Its composition with the tautological map of is the canonical embedding of , so is itself a closed embedding. Each fibre of the ruling maps to the spanning line of ; their union is the canonical scroll of a trigonal curve, and the ruling restricts to the given .
Put . Tensoring by identifies the abstract ruled surface with . The section coming from the quotient onto the smaller summand has self-intersection and will be denoted by . In this normalized presentation its tautological class is ; restoring the twist givesThis class gives the scroll map. It is an embedding if . When , it contracts ; thus the printed embedding description needs this positivity qualification. For example, in genus three the ruled model is and its image is ; in genus four the type has a quadric-cone image. In both cases the smooth curve and its canonical image are still described by the construction above.
As a divisor on , the curve meets each fibre in degree three, so for an integer . The scroll formula givesBy adjunction formula and ,Taking degree on uses and gives . ConsequentlyWriting , this is
A divisor with on is basepoint-free when . Indeed, its pushforward along the ruling splits intoif each degree is nonnegative, sections generate these coefficient functions, and the fibre monomials generate at every point. In particular is basepoint-free when . The Bertini smoothness theorem then makes its general member nonsingular, including the equality case, where the general member avoids .
Conversely, if , then , so every effective member contains . Because the canonical scroll has ,The residual system is basepoint-free. Its general member does not contain and intersects it inThus a general divisor in the original system is with intersecting components and is singular at an intersection point. The fixed component occurs exactly once for a general member, since is not forced to contain it. This proves both directions, with the canonical-scroll hypotheses retained:This is also the bound on the Maroni invariant. Merely observing a fixed component would not by itself prove singularity; the positive intersection with its residual divisor is essential.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 21 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For these linear systems of divisors, take a complex K3 surface and a nef big divisor , so . The exceptional terminology refers to the complete system , rather than to an arbitrary subsystem.
A monogonal linear system on a K3 surface has the formwhere is an elliptic pencil on a K3 surface and is its section. Its intersection with an elliptic fibre is one, and its fixed part is . For a concrete existence example, take the smooth Fermat quartic surface and two skew lines on it. Such lines can be written aswith , and . The equations show that they are disjoint, and the four partial derivatives show that the quartic is smooth. The adjunction formula gives , and the hypersurface exact sequence of sheaves , together with the intermediate cohomology vanishing of these twists, gives . Thus it is a K3 surface, and each line has square . If is the hyperplane class, the planes through cut out plus a residual cubic pencil , . This pencil has no base point off . On , its two local residual equations are the two normal derivatives of the quartic equation; they cannot vanish simultaneously because is smooth. Thus it is basepoint-free, withThe degree-one map of to the pencil base makes it a section and forces connected fibres. Bertini smoothness theorem and adjunction formula then make a general fibre a smooth genus-one curve.
Now choose . For every irreducible curve other than , both and the effective curve have nonnegative intersection with it. Also , so is nef, and . On a general elliptic fibre, the restriction of is the degree-one bundle of the section point. Its unique section vanishes at that point. Every global section of therefore vanishes along a dense subset of , hence along itself. Removing this fixed divisor gives exactly . This verifies the monogonal example directly; its general divisor is a section plus fibres.
A hyperelliptic linear system on a K3 surface is a basepoint-free nef big system whose morphism is generically two-to-one. Equivalently its general smooth curve is hyperelliptic. Let be a double cover branched over a smooth sextic, and put . The double-cover construction givesThus is a K3 surface. Further,since the second summand contributes . The map given by is precisely the double cover. A general member is the double cover of a line branched at six points, so Riemann-Hurwitz formula gives genus two. This is the hyperelliptic example.
A trigonal linear system on a K3 surface is a basepoint-free nonhyperelliptic nef big system whose general smooth curve has gonality three. For an example, take the same smooth quartic with a line and the hyperplane system . Its general member is a smooth plane quartic of genus three; adjunction formula identifies its plane embedding with its canonical map, so it is not hyperelliptic. The elliptic pencil hasIts restriction to a general hyperplane curve is a basepoint-free degree-three pencil. The curve is neither rational nor hyperelliptic, so its gonality is exactly three. This verifies the trigonal example.
Thus the three examples exhibit respectively a fixed section with elliptic fibres, a double-plane map, and an embedded quartic with trigonal hyperplane sections. The last example also illustrates why low-genus trigonal sections should not be confused with a blanket numerical criterion for every higher-genus model.