At a generic smooth point of an irreducible complex analytic hypersurface , a nonzero meromorphic function has the form , where is a reduced transverse local equation and is a holomorphic unit. The integer is its order along : positive for a zero and negative for a pole. The unique factorization domain property of the local ring of a complex manifold makes this independent of the equation and propagates it along . These orders are the coefficients of the principal divisor on a complex manifold of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 ii Paper 4 23F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A divisor on a complex manifold, specialized to a compact Riemann surface, is a finite sum with integer coefficients, and . Two divisors are linearly equivalent when for a nonzero meromorphic function , whose principal divisor on a complex manifold records zero orders minus pole orders. DefineMultiplication by gives an isomorphism , because . Its inverse is multiplication by , proving .
On the Riemann sphere move to infinity by a Möbius coordinate. Meromorphic functions on the sphere are rational; those with no finite poles and a pole of order at most one at infinity are exactly . Thus , without using Riemann–Roch.
The Riemann-Roch theorem for a compact connected genus- surface is , where is a canonical divisor. Choose . Since the second dimension is nonnegative, . Constants span only one dimension, so a nonconstant exists whose only possible pole is at with order at most . The degree of its holomorphic map to the sphere is the total pole order. Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 22 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
On a complex manifold, a divisor on a complex manifold is a locally finite formal sum , where ranges over irreducible complex analytic hypersurfaces and . The local algebra needed here is that the local ring , identified in coordinates with convergent power-series germs, is a regular local ring and a unique factorization domain. In particular, each height-one prime is generated by one irreducible germ, and a nonzero meromorphic germ is a quotient of holomorphic germs. Reduced local equations of the same hypersurface differ by a holomorphic unit. These facts include local branches when a globally irreducible hypersurface has several branches at a singular point.
The order of a meromorphic function along a hypersurface is the exponent of its reduced local equation in the quotient's factorization. Equivalently, at a generic smooth point of , write , with a transverse local equation of and a holomorphic unit; then . Changing a reduced equation multiplies it by a unit and leaves unchanged. These local orders agree on overlaps and are constant along the generic smooth locus of an irreducible hypersurface. A nonzero global meromorphic function therefore defines its principal divisor on a complex manifoldPositive coefficients record zeros and negative coefficients record poles.
A local defining function for on is a nonzero meromorphic function whose orders there equal the coefficients of . It can be constructed as the product of local reduced hypersurface equations to the prescribed integer powers. On an overlap, has no zero or pole along any hypersurface. The unique factorization domain property then makes it a nowhere-zero holomorphic function, after choosing representatives of the germs. The holomorphic line bundle associated to a divisor is obtained by gluing holomorphic frames usingThese ratios satisfy the cocycle condition, and the expressions agree on overlaps. They form the canonical meromorphic section of a holomorphic line bundle with divisor .
If globally, is a holomorphic unit on , and is a global nowhere-zero holomorphic section. Hence is holomorphically trivial. Conversely, if has a nowhere-zero global holomorphic frame , write with holomorphic units. The coefficients of the canonical meromorphic section of a holomorphic line bundle agree on overlaps and give a nonzero global meromorphic function . Since multiplication by a unit does not change orders, . Therefore
For a smooth hypersurface , the adjunction formula isIndeed, the holomorphic conormal sequence has first term ; taking its determinant yields , which gives the formula. Here the canonical bundle is the top exterior power of the holomorphic cotangent bundle.
Apply this first to . Its degree- equation is a section of , so . Since , we obtain . The restricted second equation cuts out in and has associated bundle . A second application of adjunction formula gives the canonical bundle of a regular projective complete intersection
It remains to prove that a nonzero exponent cannot yield a trivial holomorphic line bundle on . Choose a connected component and a hyperplane meeting but not containing it. Such a hyperplane exists: a positive-dimensional compact projective submanifold cannot lie entirely in an affine chart, since all its affine coordinate functions would be global holomorphic functions and hence constant. A hyperplane through one point and not another consequently meets properly. Its equation gives a holomorphic section of that has both a zero and a nonzero value. For , the th power has the same two properties. Were trivial, this section would be represented by a global holomorphic function, contradicting its constancy on compact connected . For , triviality would imply triviality of its positive dual power. This proves nontrivial hyperplane powers on a compact projective submanifold and henceThe degrees are positive because the two equations define a hypersurface and a surface of the specified dimensions.
The calculation uses “non-singular” in the usual smooth complete-intersection sense: the equations define reduced smooth divisors, with independent differentials along . If only their reduced zero sets are required to be smooth, polynomial multiplicities cannot determine the canonical bundle. For example, and have the same smooth quartic surface in the hyperplane for every . That surface has trivial canonical bundle, while the displayed polynomial degree sum is . Thus unreduced equations must not be substituted into the adjunction formula for the reduced surface.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 19 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An irreducible complex analytic hypersurface is a closed analytic subset of pure complex codimension one which cannot be expressed as the union of two proper closed analytic subsets. Here a local defining function of a complex analytic hypersurface means a reduced local equation: a holomorphic germ generating its vanishing ideal, with each local branch occurring once. The word reduced matters. Merely prescribing the zero set would allow both and , and the requested uniqueness would then be false.
The local facts used are these: in holomorphic coordinates the local ring is , a regular local ring and a unique factorization domain; its units are exactly the germs nonzero at ; and the analytic Nullstellensatz identifies the zero-set ideal of a germ with . A reduced germ is a product of distinct irreducible factors. Unique factorization makes its principal ideal radical: if , every irreducible factor of divides , so . Thus two reduced germs with the same hypersurface germ have . Write , . The local ring is a domain, so . Hence is a holomorphic unit and . This proves reduced local defining functions differ by a holomorphic unit. Global irreducibility does not imply local irreducibility at a singular point; the same argument uses the product of all local branches and therefore covers that case too.
A divisor on a complex manifold is a locally finite integer combination of irreducible analytic hypersurfaces. On a compact manifold only finitely many have nonzero coefficients. Choose local meromorphic equations for a divisor , by products of powers of reduced local equations. Their ratios are holomorphic units on overlaps. For the holomorphic line bundle associated to a divisor, choose frames satisfyingThe ratios obey the cocycle identity and so define a holomorphic line bundle . This convention makes the local meromorphic sections agree, with divisor . Changing the equations by units changes frames and gives an isomorphic bundle.
For hyperplanes in Complex projective space, choose nonzero linear equations . The degree-zero quotient is a global meromorphic function and has divisor . A principal divisor on a complex manifold gives a trivial associated bundle: using the same global meromorphic equation on every chart makes all frame transitions equal to one. The allowed tensor-product rule now givesIf the hyperplanes coincide the same conclusion is immediate. Equivalently, their common bundle is the hyperplane bundle .
Locally at the centre of a blowup of a complex manifold at a point, replace a coordinate neighbourhood in byAway from zero the direction is uniquely , so this map is an isomorphism there; glue it to . In the chart , write and for . These are smooth holomorphic coordinates on the blowup. The exceptional divisor is , globally .
The canonical bundle formula for a point blowup isThe local chart also explains the exponent: pulling back a coordinate volume form gives , so the Jacobian section has divisor .
Since is smooth at the centre, choose coordinates with . Its strict transform is a genuine analytic hypersurface. In a blowup chart , it is the closed set : off , the original equation reduces to , and taking the closure restores the points with . In chart , there are no such off-exceptional points, and the strict transform is empty there. These descriptions agree on overlaps and show analyticity, with . The total transform has the extra factor exactly once, soUnder the given anticanonical assumption, this yieldsTo prove the only-if direction, one must rule out an accidental trivial power of . The local blowup is the tautological line bundle over , with its zero section. Its normal bundle is therefore . The normal bundle of a smooth analytic hypersurface identifies with this bundle. If , restrict to a projective line inside ; the restriction of has degree . A trivial line bundle has degree zero, so it is trivial only if . Conversely the displayed tensor factor is literally trivial when . This is the anticanonical strict transform under a point blowup criterion:For completeness, dimension one cannot satisfy the premise in this compact setting: an irreducible analytic hypersurface is one point, and has degree on its curve component, whereas has degree . Thus no exceptional dimension-one case invalidates the equivalence.