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Choose very ample divisors $H_2$ and $H_1\sim D+H_2$, with defining sections avoiding the associated points of $X$. Such a choice is possible after taking a sufficiently high ample twist. Put $R_m=mD-H_1=(m-1)D-H_2$. The two indicated short exact sequences of sheaves and their long exact sequences in sheaf cohomology implyWe abbreviate $h^i(Z,{\mathcal{O}}_Z(L))$ by $h^i(Z,L)$. Each $H_a$ has dimension $n-1$ and the restricted divisor is nef. For positive degrees below $n-1$, the assumed induction estimate bounds the error terms by $O(m^{n-2})$. The displayed hypothesis omits top-degree cohomology; use top cohomology boundedness for nef twists for that degree, and Grothendieck vanishing above it. These give the same error bound. The auxiliary top-degree result follows from Fujita vanishing by cutting a coherent sheaf with an ample divisor, as proved in cohomology growth for nef twists.

For $n\ge 2$, summing the inequality over successive $m$ gives $h^j(X,mD)=O(m^{n-1})$ for every $j>1$. For $n\le 1$, all such groups vanish by Grothendieck vanishing.

Choose a very ample divisor $A$ such that $A-D$ has a nonzero global section; this is possible by taking a sufficiently high ample twist. Since $X$ is integral, multiplication by its $m$th power injects $H^0(X,mD)$ into $H^0(X,mA)$. By Serre vanishing and the Hilbert polynomial, $h^0(X,mA)=O(m^n)$. ConsequentlyThis is the polynomial bound for sections of a fixed divisor. The same proof works for a coherent sheaf of support dimension $d$, by choosing the multiplying section to avoid its associated points; the bound is then $O(m^d)$.

Choose a very ample divisor $A$. By the stronger form of Kodaira's lemma, $jD\sim A+E$ for some effective divisor $E$. The subsystem $s_E{H}^0(X,A)\subseteq H^0(X,jD)$ defines the embedding given by $A$ on $X\setminus \mathrm{Supp}E$. Ratios of its sections generate the function field $k(X)$. The map from the complete complete linear system of a divisor contains these ratios, so it induces the same function field and is birational onto its image.

The converse is true; smoothness is unnecessary. If $|jD|$ gives a birational map, choose $n$ algebraically independent ratios $s_1/s_0,\dots ,s_n/s_0$ among a generating set of its section ratios. For every $q$, the sectionsare linearly independent by algebraic independence. Therefore $h^0(X,qjD)\ge \left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{q+n}{n}\right)$, giving condition (1) of part (iii). This is the birational linear system criterion for bigness.

Choose a point $Q\in E$. Since $g(E)=1$, a nonzero regular differential has an effective divisor of degree $2g-2=0$, so $K_E\sim 0$. The Riemann-Roch theorem therefore givesChooseThe rational functions $x$ and $y$ have their only poles at $Q$, of orders two and three respectively.

The seven functionsbelong to the six-dimensional Riemann-Roch space $L(6Q)$, so they satisfy a nontrivial linear relation. Comparing pole orders shows that the coefficients of both $x^3$ and $y^2$ are nonzero. After rescaling, the relation has the Weierstrass formThe divisor $3Q$ is very ample, so its complete linear system embeds $E$ in ${\mathbb{P}}^2$ and the displayed relation cuts out its image; this is the Weierstrass construction from Riemann-Roch in genus one.

Because $\mathrm{char}k\ne 2$, completing the square removes the terms linear in $y$, and because $\mathrm{char}k\ne 3$, translating $x$ removes the quadratic term. Thus the equation becomesSince $k$ is algebraically closed, the cubic factors asSmoothness of $E$ says that the elliptic-curve discriminant is nonzero, equivalently the three roots are distinct. Hence

For a divisor on an algebraic curve $D$ on a smooth projective curve $X$ of genus $g$, the Riemann-Roch theorem stateswhere $K_X$ is a canonical divisor. Taking $D=0$ gives $1-\ell (K_X)=1-g$, so $\ell (K_X)=g$. Taking $D=K_X$ then gives

To obtain a uniform projective embedding, choose a divisor $D$ of degree $2g+1$. Since every divisor appearing below has degree greater than $2g-2$, Riemann--Roch givesThe first two equalities show that the complete linear system of a divisor $|D|$ has no base point. The strict drops in the last two comparisons show respectively that its sections separate distinct points $P,Q$ and tangent directions at $P$. Thus $D$ is a very ample divisor, in accordance with the general fact that a high-degree divisor is very ample on a smooth projective curve, and its sections define a closed embeddingThe ambient dimension therefore depends only on $g$.

The Riemann-Hurwitz formula for a nonconstant morphism $h:C_1\to C_2$ of degree $n$ isChoose a smooth plane quartic $C$, so $g(C)=3$, and form the product of projective varieties $S=C\times C$. This is a smooth projective variety of dimension two. If $B\subset S$ is an irreducible curve, pass to its normalization $\tilde{B}$. At least one coordinate projection $\tilde{B}\to C$ is nonconstant, since otherwise $B$ would be a point. For that projection, Riemann--Hurwitz givesso the geometric genus of $B$ is at least three. Hence $S$ is the required surface; this is the product surface without low-genus curves construction.

Finally let $X\subset {\mathbb{P}}^2$ be a smooth plane curve of degree $d$ and let $p\notin X$. After a projective change of coordinates, take $p=[0:0:1]$. Projection away from $p$ isIts two homogeneous coordinate functions cannot vanish simultaneously on $X$, because their common zero in ${\mathbb{P}}^2$ is $p$. The criterion for a morphism of algebraic varieties therefore shows that the restrictionis a morphism. A fibre is the intersection with a line through $p$, and a general such line meets $X$ in $d$ points counted with multiplicity. Thus the projection of a plane curve from an exterior point has degree $d$.

By the genus of a smooth plane curve, $g(X)=(d-1)(d-2)/2$. Applying Riemann--Hurwitz to $\pi$ and its ramification divisor $R_{\pi }$ givesEvery ramification point contributes at least one to this degree, so

A divisor is very ample when its complete linear system defines a closed embedding into projective space.

A very ample linear system defines an embedding into projective space. On a smooth projective curve this means it has no base points and separates both distinct points and tangent directions; the complete system of a very ample divisor is an example.