Projective variety

A projective variety is a closed algebraic subvariety of some projective space.

The complete system of quadratic forms maps ${\mathbb{P}}^2$ to a smooth surface of degree four in ${\mathbb{P}}^5$. The six coordinates are $x_0^2,x_0{x}_1,x_0{x}_2,x_1^2,x_1{x}_2,x_2^2$. It occurs as a degree-two image of a K3 surface and, after taking a projective cone, in the plane-quintic exception to the K3 linear system dichotomies.

A projective embedding realizes a variety as a closed subvariety of projective space. A very ample line bundle gives such an embedding through its global sections.

Suppose a nonconstant morphism of varieties $f:X\to Z$ has fiber $Y$ over $z_0$, where $X$ is normal, connected and projective. Choose an affine neighborhood $U$ of $z_0$ and a regular function on $U$ nonconstant on $f(X)\cap U$. Its pullback is a nonconstant rational function on $X$, so its pole Weil divisor is nonzero. A pole-free rational function on a normal variety is regular, and global regular functions on a connected projective variety are constant. The pole divisor avoids $f^{-1}(U)$, hence avoids $Y$. No projectivity assumption on $Z$ is needed.

A projective completion of an affine variety $X$ is a projective variety containing $X$ as a dense open subvariety. Homogenizing affine defining equations and taking their projective zero set gives the projective closure, although it may add singularities at infinity.

The homogenization of a polynomial $f(x_1,\dots ,x_n)$ of total degree $d$ is the homogeneous polynomialIts projective zero set is the projective closure of the affine hypersurface defined by $f$.

If projective varieties $X,Y\subseteq {\mathbb{P}}^n$ have dimensions $r,s$ and $r+s\ge n$, then $X\cap Y$ is nonempty and every component has dimension at least $r+s-n$.

A projective curve is a projective algebraic curve. A projective curve is a one-dimensional projective variety.

A rational normal curve in ${\mathbb{P}}^n$ is the image of the degree-$n$ Veronese map from ${\mathbb{P}}^1$. After projective changes of coordinates it has parametrization

A smooth projective curve is a nonsingular projective curve. A smooth projective curve is a nonsingular projective variety of dimension one.

A nonconstant rational function on a smooth projective curve extends to a finite morphism to the projective line. The inverse images of its two standard affine charts are affine varieties covering the curve. The resulting Čech cochain complex has only degrees zero and one, so every coherent sheaf has zero sheaf cohomology in degrees at least two.

For a smooth projective curve with $H^0(C,{\mathcal{O}}_C)=k$, its genus is ${\dim }_k{H}^1(C,{\mathcal{O}}_C)$, equivalently ${\dim }_k{H}^0(C,{\Omega }_C^1)$ by Serre duality. It equals the arithmetic genus $1-\chi ({\mathcal{O}}_C)$. Without the condition on constants, the general Riemann-Roch theorem instead uses $\chi ({\mathcal{O}}_C)=h^0({\mathcal{O}}_C)-h^1({\mathcal{O}}_C)$.

Over an algebraically closed field, choose a point $P$ on the smooth projective curve. The Riemann-Roch theorem gives $\dim L(P)=2$: the complementary canonical divisor term has negative degree. A nonconstant function in $L(P)$ has exactly one simple pole, so it defines a degree-one morphism of algebraic curves to the projective line. A degree-one map between smooth projective curves is an isomorphism. The existence of a rational point is essential over a field which is not algebraically closed.

Over the algebraic closure of ${\mathbb{F}}_3$, the displayed cubic is smooth. Its three partial derivatives are $Z^2$, $2YZ$, and $Y^2+2XZ$; their simultaneous vanishing would give $Z=Y=0$, and the equation would then give $X=0$, impossible in projective space. Its affine equation $y^2=x^3-x$ is irreducible because the odd-degree polynomial on the right is not a square in the rational function field.

Over an algebraically closed field, a smooth projective rational curve is isomorphic to ${\mathbb{P}}^1$. Its line bundles are determined by degree, its degree-zero line bundle is trivial, and $H^1({\mathbb{P}}^1,\mathcal{O})=0$. An integral projective curve of arithmetic genus zero is automatically smooth and rational by the normalization genus formula.

At every point of a smooth algebraic curve, the local ring is a discrete valuation ring. Its valuation measures the order of vanishing of a rational function at that point.

At a point of a smooth algebraic curve, its local ring is a discrete valuation ring. A local parameter is a generator $t$ of its maximal ideal, equivalently an element of valuation one. It measures the order of a zero of a function or pole by expressing functions as powers of $t$ times units. Over the complex numbers its analytic counterpart is a local coordinate vanishing simply at the point. For an elliptic curve in a Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve, $t=-x/y$ is the standard parameter at the identity.

Every rational map from a smooth projective curve to a projective variety extends uniquely to a morphism. At a missing point, the discrete valuation ring of the curve lets one divide homogeneous coordinates by their smallest valuation, leaving regular coordinates of which at least one is a unit.

Let $\nu :\tilde{C}\to C$ be the normalization of a nodal curve. Its rational inverse $C⇢\tilde{C}$ cannot extend over the node: the two branches give two distinct points of $\tilde{C}$, whereas a morphism can assign only one image to the node.

For $X=V_{+}(I)\subseteq {\mathbb{P}}^n$, the homogeneous coordinate ring is the graded ring $k[x_0,\dots ,x_n]/I$.

The product of projective varieties is projective via the Segre embedding. Dimensions add under products, and the product of smooth varieties is smooth.

The coordinate projections from a product send $(x,y)$ to $x$ and $y$, respectively. For products of projective varieties, they are morphisms.

The Segre embedding sendsand realizes ${\mathbb{P}}^m\times {\mathbb{P}}^n$ as a projective variety.

For the Segre embedding of ${\mathbb{P}}^n\times {\mathbb{P}}^m$, the homogeneous coordinate ring is the algebra generated by $x_i{y}_j$, assigning degree one to every generator. Its degree-$t$ piece consists of all polynomials bihomogeneous of bidegree $(t,t)$: pair the $t$ factors of an $x$-monomial with the $t$ factors of a $y$-monomial to express any such monomial as a product of generators. Counting the independent monomials gives the displayed Hilbert polynomial, agreeing with the Hilbert function for every integer $t\ge 0$. Its polynomial degree is $n+m$, giving the variety's dimension. Its leading coefficient is $1/(n!m!)$, giving embedded projective degree $(n+m)!/(n!m!)=\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{n+m}{n}\right)$. The two uses of degree therefore describe different quantities.

A smooth quadric surface is a smooth two-dimensional quadric hypersurface. Over an algebraically closed field of characteristic other than two, every smooth quadric surface in ${\mathbb{P}}^3$ becomesafter a projective linear transformation. The Segre embedding identifies it with ${\mathbb{P}}^1\times {\mathbb{P}}^1$.

For $X=\{x_0{x}_1=x_2{x}_3\}$ and $P=[1:0:0:1]$, the displayed map is defined on $X\setminus \{P\}$. Its fibre over $[u:v:w]$ has equation $(u-v)\lambda +uw=0$ on an affine line. Away from $u=v$ the fibre is one reduced point. On that line it is empty except at $[0:0:1]$ and $[1:1:0]$, where it is a punctured ruling line, hence an affine line. The two exceptional lines are the rulings of a smooth quadric surface through $P$.

Over an algebraically closed field, remove a smooth hyperplane conic $C$ from a smooth quadric surface $Q$. The rulings of a smooth quadric surface generate $\mathrm{Pic}(Q)={\mathbb{Z}}^2$, and $C$ has class $(1,1)$. Picard-group localization on a smooth variety gives the quotient by $\mathbb{Z}(1,1)$. The restricted ruling bundle ${\mathcal{O}}_Q(1,0)$ is a generator, exhibiting a nontrivial line bundle on an affine surface.

Over an algebraically closed field, a smooth four-variable projective quadratic equation can be written $x_0{x}_3-x_1{x}_2=0$, including in characteristic two. Its quadratic form splits into two hyperbolic planes: choose an isotropic vector and its paired vector, adjust the latter to be isotropic, and repeat on the orthogonal complement. In characteristic two, smoothness forces the alternating polar form in dimension four to have full rank, since a positive-dimensional radical has a nonzero isotropic vector over the algebraically closed field and would give a singular point. The Segre embedding $([s_0:s_1],[t_0:t_1])\mapsto [s_0{t}_0:s_0{t}_1:s_1{t}_0:s_1{t}_1]$ then gives the isomorphism. Each matrix of coordinates has rank one, which supplies the inverse pair of projective factors.

Under $Q\cong {\mathbb{P}}^1\times {\mathbb{P}}^1$, the fibres of the two coordinate projections are the two rulings of the smooth quadric surface. Two distinct fibres in one ruling are disjoint projective lines, while one fibre from each ruling meets in one point.

For distinct $p,q\in {\mathbb{P}}^1$, the curves ${\mathbb{P}}^1\times \{p\}$ and ${\mathbb{P}}^1\times \{q\}$ are disjoint, smooth, and projective.