Some remarks on varieties with degenerate Gauss image

We consider projective varieties with degenerate Gauss image whose focal hypersurfaces are non-reduced schemes. Examples of this situation are provided by the secant varieties of Severi and Scorza varieties. The Severi varieties are moreover characterized by a uniqueness property.Comment: 9 pages, to be published in Pacific Journal of Mathematic

Differential-geometric methods for the lifting problem and linear systems on plane curves

Let $X$ be an integral projective variety of codimension two, degree $d$ and dimension $r$ and $Y$ be its general hyperplane section. The problem of lifting generators of minimal degree $\sigma$ from the homogeneous ideal of $Y$ to the homogeneous ideal of $X$ is studied. A conjecture is given in terms of $d$, $r$ and $\sigma$; it is proved in the cases $r=1,2,3$. A description is given of linear systems on smooth plane curves whose dimension is almost maximal.Comment: 19 pages, AmS-TeX 2.1, report

Projective varieties with many degenerate subvarieties

We study the problem of classifying the irreducible projective varieties $X$ of dimension $n\ge 2$ in $\Bbb P^N$ which contain an algebraic family \Cal F of dimension $h+1$ ($h<n$) of subvarieties $Y$ of dimension $n-h$, each one contained in a $\Bbb P^{N-h-1}$. We prove that one of the following happens: (i) there exists an integer $r$, $r<N-n$ such that $X$ is contained in a variety $V_r$ of dimension at most $N-r$ containing a family of dimension $h+1$ of subvarieties of dimension $N-h-r$, each one contained in a linear space of dimension $N-h-1$; (ii) The degree of $Y$ is bounded by a function of $h$ and $N-n$ (in this case $X$ is called of isolated type). Successively we study some special cases; in particular we give a complete classification of surfaces in $\Bbb P^5$ containing a family of dimension $2$ of curves of $\Bbb P^3$.Comment: 19 pages, AMS-TeX 2.

On quadrisecant lines of threefolds in P^5

We study smooth threefolds of the projective space of dimension 5 whose quadrisecant lines don't fill up the space. We give a complete classification of those threefolds X whose only quadrisecant lines are the lines contained in X. Then we prove that, if X admits "true" quadrisecant lines, but they don't fill up the space, then either X is contained in a cubic hypersurface, or it contains a family of dimension at least two of plane curves of degree at least four.Comment: Plain Tex, 12 page

Mechanism Design with Interdependent Valuations: Surplus Extraction

If valuations are interdependent and agents observe their own allocation payoffs, then two-stage revelation mechanisms expand the set of implementable decision functions. In a two-stage revelation mechanism agents report twice. In the first stage - before the allocation is decided - they report their private signals. In the second stage - after the allocation has been made, but before final transfers are decided - they report their payoffs from the allocation. Conditions are provided under which an uninformed seller can extract (or virtually extract) the full surplus from a sale to privately informed buyers, in spite of the buyers’ signals being independent random variables.Auctions; Surplus Extraction; Interdependent Valuations; Mechanism Design

Implementation in mixed Nash equilibrium

A mechanism implements a social choice correspondence f in mixed Nash equilibrium if at any preference profile, the set of all pure and mixed Nash equilibrium outcomes coincides with the set of f-optimal alternatives at that preference profile. This definition generalizes Maskin’s definition of Nash implementation in that it does not require each optimal alternative to be the outcome of a pure Nash equilibrium. We show that the condition of weak set-monotonicity, a weakening of Maskin’s monotonicity, is necessary for implementation. We provide sufficient conditions for implementation and show that important social choice correspondences that are not Maskin monotonic can be implemented in mixed Nash equilibrium

A dominant strategy, double clock auction with estimation-based tatonnement

The price mechanism is fundamental to economics but difficult to reconcile with incentive compatibility and individual rationality. We introduce a double clock auction for a homogeneous good market with multidimensional private information and multiunit traders that is deficit‐free, ex post individually rational, constrained efficient, and makes sincere bidding a dominant strategy equilibrium. Under a weak dependence and an identifiability condition, our double clock auction is also asymptotically efficient. Asymptotic efficiency is achieved by estimating demand and supply using information from the bids of traders that have dropped out and following a tâtonnement process that adjusts the clock prices based on the estimates

On linear spaces of skew-symmetric matrices of constant rank

We describe the space of projective planes of complex skew-symmetric matrices of order six and constant rank four. We prove that it has four connected components, all of dimension 26 and homogeneous under the action of PGL_6.Comment: 12 page

On the construction of some Buchsbaum varieties and the Hilbert scheme of elliptic scrolls in P^5

We study the degeneracy loci of general bundle morphisms from the direct sum of m copies of the structural sheaf on $P^n$ to $\Omega(2)$, also from the point of view of the classical geometrical interpretation of the sections of $\Omega(2)$ as linear line complexes. We consider in particular the case of $P^5$ with m=2, 3. For n=5 and m=3 we give an explicit description of the Hilbert scheme H of elliptic normal scrolls in $P^5$, by defining a natural rational map from the Grassmannian G(2,14) to H, which results to be dominant with general fibre of degree four.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figure, to be published in Geometriae Dedicat