0000000000005421
AUTHOR
Duco Van Straten
showing 21 related works from this author
Infinitesimal deformations of double covers of smooth algebraic varieties
2003
The goal of this paper is to give a method to compute the space of infinitesimal deformations of a double cover of a smooth algebraic variety. The space of all infinitesimal deformations has a representation as a direct sum of two subspaces. One is isomorphic to the space of simultaneous deformations of the branch locus and the base of the double covering. The second summand is the subspace of deformations of the double covering which induce trivial deformations of the branch divisor. The main result of the paper is a description of the effect of imposing singularities in the branch locus. As a special case we study deformations of Calabi--Yau threefolds which are non--singular models of do…
Frobenius polynomials for Calabi–Yau equations
2008
We describe a variation of Dwork’ s unit-root method to determine the degree 4 Frobenius polynomial for members of a 1-modulus Calabi–Yau family over P1 in terms of the holomorphic period near a point of maximal unipotent monodromy. The method is illustrated on a couple of examples from the list [3]. For singular points, we find that the Frobenius polynomial splits in a product of two linear factors and a quadratic part 1− apT + p3T 2. We identify weight 4 modular forms which reproduce the ap as Fourier coefficients.
The polyhedral Hodge number $h^{2,1}$ and vanishing of obstructions
2000
We prove a vanishing theorem for the Hodge number $h^{2,1}$ of projective toric varieties provided by a certain class of polytopes. We explain how this Hodge number also gives information about the deformation theory of the toric Gorenstein singularity derived from the same polytope. In particular, the vanishing theorem for $h^{2,1}$ implies that these deformations are unobstructed.
Mirror symmetry and toric degenerations of partial flag manifolds
1998
In this paper we propose and discuss a mirror construction for complete intersections in partial flag manifolds $F(n_1, ..., n_l, n)$. This construction includes our previous mirror construction for complete intersection in Grassmannians and the mirror construction of Givental for complete flag manifolds. The key idea of our construction is a degeneration of $F(n_1, ..., n_l, n)$ to a certain Gorenstein toric Fano variety $P(n_1, ..., n_l, n)$ which has been investigated by Gonciulea and Lakshmibai. We describe a natural small crepant desingularization of $P(n_1, ..., n_l, n)$ and prove a generalized version of a conjecture of Gonciulea and Lakshmibai on the singular locus of $P(n_1, ..., n…
Resurgent Deformation Quantisation
2013
We construct a version of the complex Heisenberg algebra based on the idea of endless analytic continuation. In particular, we exhibit an integral formula for the product of resurgent operators with algebraic singularities. This algebra would be large enough to capture quantum effects that escape ordinary formal deformation quantisation.
Logarithmic Vector Fields and the Severi Strata in the Discriminant
2017
The discriminant, D, in the base of a miniversal deformation of an irreducible plane curve singularity, is partitioned according to the genus of the (singular) fibre, or, equivalently, by the sum of the delta invariants of the singular points of the fibre. The members of the partition are known as the Severi strata. The smallest is the δ-constant stratum, D(δ), where the genus of the fibre is 0. It is well known, by work of Givental’ and Varchenko, to be Lagrangian with respect to the symplectic form Ω obtained by pulling back the intersection form on the cohomology of the fibre via the period mapping. We show that the remaining Severi strata are also co-isotropic with respect to Ω, and mor…
Picard-Fuchs operators for octic arrangements, I: the case of orphans
2019
We report on $25$ families of projective Calabi-Yau threefolds that do not have a point of maximal unipotent monodromy in their moduli space. The construction is based on an analysis of certain pencils of octic arrangements that were found by C. Meyer. There are seven cases where the Picard-Fuchs operator is of order two and $18$ cases where it is of order four. The birational nature of the Picard-Fuchs operator can be used effectively to distinguish between families whose members have the same Hodge numbers.
Hilbert modularity of some double octic Calabi--Yau threefolds
2018
We exhibit three double octic Calabi--Yau threefolds over the certain quadratic fields and prove their modularity. The non-rigid threefold has two conjugate Hilbert modular forms of weight [4,2] and [2,4] attached while the two rigid threefolds correspond to a Hilbert modular form of weight [4,4] and to the twist of the restriction of a classical modular form of weight 4.
Conifold Transitions and Mirror Symmetry for Calabi-Yau Complete Intersections in Grassmannians
1997
In this paper we show that conifold transitions between Calabi-Yau 3-folds can be used for the construction of mirror manifolds and for the computation of the instanton numbers of rational curves on complete intersection Calabi-Yau 3-folds in Grassmannians. Using a natural degeneration of Grassmannians $G(k,n)$ to some Gorenstein toric Fano varieties $P(k,n)$ with conifolds singularities which was recently described by Sturmfels, we suggest an explicit mirror construction for Calabi-Yau complete intersections $X \subset G(k,n)$ of arbitrary dimension. Our mirror construction is consistent with the formula for the Lax operator conjectured by Eguchi, Hori and Xiong for gravitational quantum c…
CY-Operators and L-Functions
2019
This a write up of a talk given at the MATRIX conference at Creswick in 2017 (to be precise, on Friday, January 20, 2017). It reports on work in progress with P. Candelas and X. de la Ossa. The aim of that work is to determine, under certain conditions, the local Euler factors of the L-functions of the fibres of a family of varieties without recourse to the equations of the varieties in question, but solely from the associated Picard–Fuchs equation.
Milnor Number Equals Tjurina Number for Functions on Space Curves
2001
The equality of the Milnor number and Tjurina number for functions on space curve singularities, as conjectured recently by V. Goryunov, is proved. As a consequence, the discriminant in such a situation is a free divisor.
Calabi-Yau conifold expansion
2013
We describe examples of computations of Picard–Fuchs operators for families of Calabi–Yau manifolds based on the expansion of a period near a conifold point. We find examples of operators without a point of maximal unipotent monodromy, thus answering a question posed by J. Rohde.
Lines on the Dwork pencil of quintic threefolds
2012
We present an explicit parametrization of the families of lines of the Dwork pencil of quintic threefolds. This gives rise to isomorphic curves which parametrize the lines. These curves are 125:1 covers of certain genus six curves. These genus six curves are first presented as curves in P^1*P^1 that have three nodes. It is natural to blow up P^1*P^1 in the three points corresponding to the nodes in order to produce smooth curves. The result of blowing up P^1*P^1 in three points is the quintic del Pezzo surface dP_5, whose automorphism group is the permutation group S_5, which is also a symmetry of the pair of genus six curves. The subgroup A_5, of even permutations, is an automorphism of ea…
Stochastic factorizations, sandwiched simplices and the topology of the space of explanations
2003
We study the space of stochastic factorizations of a stochastic matrix V, motivated by the statistical problem of hidden random variables. We show that this space is homeomorphic to the space of simplices sandwiched between two nested convex polyhedra, and use this geometrical model to gain some insight into its structure and topology. We prove theorems describing its homotopy type, and, in the case where the rank of V is 2, we give a complete description, including bounds on the number of connected components, and examples in which these bounds are attained. We attempt to make the notions of topology accessible and relevant to statisticians.
Bhabha Scattering and a special pencil of K3 surfaces
2018
We study a pencil of K3 surfaces that appeared in the $2$-loop diagrams in Bhabha scattering. By analysing in detail the Picard lattice of the general and special members of the pencil, we identify the pencil with the celebrated Ap\'ery--Fermi pencil, that was related to Ap\'ery's proof of the irrationality of $\zeta(3)$ through the work of F. Beukers, C. Peters and J. Stienstra. The same pencil appears miraculously in different and seemingly unrelated physical contexts.
A special Calabi–Yau degeneration with trivial monodromy
2021
A well-known theorem of Kulikov, Persson and Pinkham states that a degeneration of a family of K3-surfaces with trivial monodromy can be completed to a smooth family. We give a simple example that an analogous statement does not hold for Calabi–Yau threefolds.
Tree Singularities: Limits, Series and Stability
2013
A tree singularity is a surface singularity that consists of smooth components, glued along smooth curves in the pattern of a tree. Such singularities naturally occur as degenerations of certain rational surface singularities. To be more precise, they can be considered as limits of certain series of rational surface singularities with reduced fundamental cycle. We introduce a general class of limits, construct series deformations for them and prove a stability theorem stating that under the condition of finite dimensionality of T 2 the base space of a semi-universal deformation for members high in the series coincides up to smooth factor with the “base space of the limit”. The simplest tree…
Generalizations of Clausen's formula and algebraic transformations of Calabi-Yau differential equations
2011
AbstractWe provide certain unusual generalizations of Clausen's and Orr's theorems for solutions of fourth-order and fifth-order generalized hypergeometric equations. As an application, we present several examples of algebraic transformations of Calabi–Yau differential equations.
Real Line Arrangements and Surfaces with Many Real Nodes
2008
A long standing question is if the maximum number μ(d) of nodes on a surface of degree d in P( ) can be achieved by a surface defined over the reals which has only real singularities. The currently best known asymptotic lower bound, μ(d) 5 12 d, is provided by Chmutov’s construction from 1992 which gives surfaces whose nodes have non-real coordinates. Using explicit constructions of certain real line arrangements we show that Chmutov’s construction can be adapted to give only real singularities. All currently best known constructions which exceed Chmutov’s lower bound (i.e., for d = 3, 4, . . . , 8, 10, 12) can also be realized with only real singularities. Thus, our result shows that, up t…
On a Theorem of Greuel and Steenbrink
2017
A famous theorem of Greuel and Steenbrink states that the first Betti number of the Milnor fibre of a smoothing of a normal surface singularity vanishes. In this paper we prove a general theorem on the first Betti number of a smoothing that implies an analogous result for weakly normal singularities.
A Visual Introduction to Cubic Surfaces Using the Computer Software Spicy
2003
At the end of the 19th century geometers like Clebsch, Klein and Rodenberg constructed plaster models in order to get a visual impression of their surfaces, which are so beautiful from an abstract point of view. But these were static visualizations. Using the computer program Spicy 1, which was written by the second author, one can now draw algebraic curves and surfaces depending on parameters interactively.