Discriminant loci of ample and spanned line bundles

Let $(X,L,V)$ be a triplet where $X$ is an irreducible smooth complex projective variety, $L$ is an ample and spanned line bundle on $X$ and $V\subseteq H^0(X,L)$ spans $L$. The discriminant locus \Cal D(X,V) \subset |V| is the algebraic subset of singular elements of $|V|$. We study the components of \Cal D(X,V) in connection with the jumping sets of $(X,V)$, generalizing the classical biduality theorem. We also deal with the degree of the discriminant (codegree of $(X,L,V)$) giving some bounds on it and classifying curves and surfaces of codegree 2 and 3. We exclude the possibility for the codegree to be 1. Significant examples are provided

Higher Order Bad Loci

Zero-schemes on smooth complex projective varieties, forcing all elements of ample and free linear systems to be reducible are studied. Relationships among the minimal length of such zero-schemes, the positivity of the line bundle associated with the linear system, and the dimension of the variety are established. A generalization to higher dimension subschemes is studied in the last section.Comment: 23 pages. Refereed version, to appear in JPA

Ample subvarieties and rationally connected fibrations

Under some positivity assumptions, extension properties of rationally connected fibrations from a submanifold to its ambient variety are studied. Given a family of rational curves on a complex projective manifold X inducing a covering family on a submanifold Y with ample normal bundle in X, the main results relate, under suitable conditions, the associated rational connected fiber structures on X and on Y. Applications of these results include an extension theorem for Mori contractions of fiber type and a classification theorem in the case Y has a structure of projective bundle or quadric fibration.Comment: 27 pages; v2: minor changes and corrections following the referee's comments. v3: few typos corrected. To appear in Math. An

Peculiar Loci of Ample and Spanned Line Bundles

The bad locus and the rude locus of an ample and base point free linear system on a smooth complex projective variety are introduced and studied. The bad locus is defined as the set of points that force divisors through them to be reducible. The rude locus is defined as the set of points such that divisors that are singular at them are forced to be reducible. The existence of a nonmempty bad locus is shown to be exclusively a two dimensional phenomenon. Polarized surfaces of small degree, or whose degree is the square of a prime, with nonempty bad loci are completely classified. Several explicit examples are offered to describe the variety of behaviors of the two loci.Comment: to appear in Manuscripta Mathematic