We show that the vanishing order of a non-zero vector field at a generic point of a smooth Fano variety of Picard number 1 cannot exceed the dimension of the Fano variety. Furthermore, if there exist only finitely many rational curves of minimal degree through a generic point of the Fano variety, we show that a non-zero vector field cannot vanish at a generic point of the Fano variety.

We study the relationship between the equations defining a projective variety and properties of its secant varieties. In particular, we use information about the syzygies among the defining equations to derive smoothness and normality statements about SecX and also to obtain information about linear systems on the blow up of projective space along a variety X. We use these results to geometrically construct, for varieties of arbitrary dimension, a flip first described in the case of curves by M. Thaddeus via Geometric Invariant Theory.

Let k be a perfect field with cohomological dimension [les ] 2. Serre's conjecture II claims that the Galois cohomology set H1(k,G) is trivial for any simply connected semi-simple algebraic G/k and this conjecture is known for groups of type 1An after Merkurjev–Suslin and for classical groups and groups of type F4 and G2 after Bayer–Parimala. For any maximal torus T of G/k, we study the map H1(k, T) → H1(k, G) using an induction process on the type of the groups, and it yields conjecture II for all quasi-split simply connected absolutely almost k-simple groups with type distinct from E8. We also have partial results for E8 and for some twisted forms of simply connected quasi-split groups. In particular, this method gives a new proof of Hasse principle for quasi-split groups over number fields including the E8-case, which is based on the Galois cohomology of maximal tori of such groups.

We consider smooth algebraic varieties with ample either canonical or anticanonical sheaf. We prove that such a variety is uniquely determined by its derived category of coherent sheaves. We also calculate the group of exact autoequivalences for these categories. The technics of ample sequences in Abelian categories is used.

In this paper, using the gluing formula of Gromov–Witten invariants for symplectic cutting developed by Li and Ruan, we established some relations between Gromov–Witten invariants of a semipositive symplectic manifold M and its blow-ups along a smooth surface.

We prove that the Sebastiani–Thom isomorphism for Milnor fibres and their monodromies exists as a natural isomorphism between vanishing cycles in the derived category.