Symmetry defect of algebraic varieties
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Symmetry defect of algebraic varieties
zbMATH Open document ID: 1343.14050
published in: The Asian Journal of Mathematics
publication date: 2014-10-15T00:00:00Z
full work available at URL: https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ajm/1410186670
reviewed by: Carlos D'Andrea
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 14R10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 13P10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 14D06
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 14Q20
zbMATH DE Number: 6355719
zbMATH Keywords: polynomial mapping
zbMATH Keywords: fibration
zbMATH Keywords: bifurcation points
zbMATH Keywords: center symmetry set
zbMATH Keywords: Wigner caustic
author: Stanisław Janeczko
author: Z. Jelonek
author: Maria Aparecida Soares Ruas
MaRDI profile type: Publication
OpenAlex ID: W1975924433
DOI: 10.4310/AJM.2014.V18.N3.A8
review text: Let \(k\) be a field, and \(Z, W \subset k^m\) affine algebraic varieties. For a point \(P\in k^m\), the number \(\mu(P)\) is defined as the cardinality of pairs \(\{z,w\}\) where \(z\in Z,\, w\in W\), and \(P=\frac{z+w}2.\) The number \(\mu_{Z,W}:=\sup_{P:\,\mu(P)<\infty}\{\mu(P)\}\) is called the \textit{generic symmetry of} \(Z\) and \(W\). This construction appears when studying affine invariant symmetries of varieties.NEWLINENEWLINEThe main result of the paper under review is the following: NEWLINENEWLINE\noindent \textit{If \(k={\mathbb C},\) and \(Z, W\) are smooth algebraic manifolds in general position of dimensions \(r\) and \(s\) respectively, with \(r+s=m,\) and degrees \(p\) and \(q\) respectively, then \(0<\mu_{Z,W}\leq pq,\) and there exists an algebraic hypersurface \(B(Z,W)\subset{\mathbb C}^m\) of degree bounded by \(pq(1+sp+rq-m)\) whose complement is the set of all the points in \({\mathbb C}^m\) being the midpoint of exactly \(\mu_{Z,W}\) pairs \(\{z,w\},\,z\in Z,\,w\in W.\)}NEWLINENEWLINEThe set \(B(Z,W)\) of the claim is called the \textit{symmetry defect} of \(Z\) and \(W\). It is constructed as the \textit{bifurcation set} of the map \(\Phi:Z\times W\to{\mathbb C}^m\) given by \((z,w)\mapsto \frac{z+w}2,\) which is the set of those points where the cardinality of their fibre differs from the geometric degree of the map. The authors study properties of bifurcation sets, and show that in general they are either empty or a hypersurface of bounded degree. These properties are used later to prove the main result of the paper.NEWLINENEWLINEIf \(k={\mathbb R},\) an alternative definition of bifurcation set is given which allows them to show that it is closed and semialgebraic, and to bound the number of connected components of the complement of \(B(Z,W)\) for real varieties.NEWLINENEWLINEThe paper then focuses on the case of curves in the plane where more details are given to the general results already obtained, and also the topological stability …
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6355719