Power series rings and projectivity

We show that a formal power series ring $A[[X]]$ over a noetherian ring $A$ is not a projective module unless $A$ is artinian. However, if $(A,{\mathfrak m})$ is local, then $A[[X]]$ behaves like a projective module in the sense that $Ext^p_A(A[[X]], M)=0$ for all ${\mathfrak m}$-adically complete $A$-modules. The latter result is shown more generally for any flat $A$-module $B$ instead of $A[[X]]$. We apply the results to the (analytic) Hochschild cohomology over complete noetherian rings.Comment: Mainly thanks to remarks and pointers by L.L.Avramov and S.Iyengar, we added further context and references. To appear in Manuscripta Mathematica. 7 page

Embeddings of ℂ*-surfaces into weighted projective spaces

Let V be a normal affine surface which admits a C*- and a C+-action. In this note we show that in many cases V can be embedded as a principal Zariski open subset into a hypersurface of a weighted projective space. In particular, we recover a result of D. Daigle and P. Russell

Smooth affine surfaces with non-unique C*-actions

In this paper we complete the classification of effective C*-actions on smooth affine surfaces up to conjugation in the full automorphism group and up to inversion of C*. If a smooth affine surface V admits more than one C*-action then it is known to be Gizatullin i.e., it can be completed by a linear chain of smooth rational curves. In our previous paper we gave a sufficient condition, in terms of the Dolgachev- Pinkham-Demazure (or DPD) presentation, for the uniqueness of a C*-action on a Gizatullin surface. In the present paper we show that this condition is also necessary, at least in the smooth case. In fact, if the uniqueness fails for a smooth Gizatullin surface V which is neither toric nor Danilov-Gizatullin, then V admits a continuous family of pairwise non-conjugated C*-actions depending on one or two parameters. We give an explicit description of all such surfaces and their C*-actions in terms of DPD presentations. We also show that for every k > 0 one can find a Danilov- Gizatullin surface V (n) of index n = n(k) with a family of pairwise non-conjugate C+-actions depending on k parameters

Flexible varieties and automorphism groups

Given an affine algebraic variety X of dimension at least 2, we let SAut (X) denote the special automorphism group of X i.e., the subgroup of the full automorphism group Aut (X) generated by all one-parameter unipotent subgroups. We show that if SAut (X) is transitive on the smooth locus of X then it is infinitely transitive on this locus. In turn, the transitivity is equivalent to the flexibility of X. The latter means that for every smooth point x of X the tangent space at x is spanned by the velocity vectors of one-parameter unipotent subgroups of Aut (X). We provide also different variations and applications.Comment: Final version; to appear in Duke Math.

Affine T-varieties of complexity one and locally nilpotent derivations

Let X=spec A be a normal affine variety over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic 0 endowed with an effective action of a torus T of dimension n. Let also D be a homogeneous locally nilpotent derivation on the normal affine Z^n-graded domain A, so that D generates a k_+-action on X that is normalized by the T-action. We provide a complete classification of pairs (X,D) in two cases: for toric varieties (n=\dim X) and in the case where n=\dim X-1. This generalizes previously known results for surfaces due to Flenner and Zaidenberg. As an application we compute the homogeneous Makar-Limanov invariant of such varieties. In particular we exhibit a family of non-rational varieties with trivial Makar-Limanov invariant.Comment: 31 pages. Minor changes in the structure. Fixed some typo

Del Pezzo surfaces and local inequalities

I prove new local inequality for divisors on smooth surfaces, describe its applications, and compare it to a similar local inequality that is already known by experts.Comment: 13 pages; to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Groups of Automorphisms in Birational and Affine Geometry", Levico Terme (Trento), 201