We use the tropical geometry approach to compute absolute and relative enumerative invariants of complex surfaces which are $\mathbb {C} P^1$-bundles over an elliptic curve. We also show that the tropical multiplicity used to count curves can be refined by the standard Block–Göttsche refined multiplicity to give tropical refined invariants. We then give a concrete algorithm using floor diagrams to compute these invariants along with the associated interpretation as operators acting on some Fock space. The floor diagram algorithm allows one to prove the piecewise polynomiality of the relative invariants, and the quasi-modularity of their generating series.

We give an arithmetic count of the lines on a smooth cubic surface over an arbitrary field $k$, generalizing the counts that over ${\mathbf {C}}$ there are $27$ lines, and over ${\mathbf {R}}$ the number of hyperbolic lines minus the number of elliptic lines is $3$. In general, the lines are defined over a field extension $L$ and have an associated arithmetic type $\alpha$ in $L^*/(L^*)^2$. There is an equality in the Grothendieck–Witt group $\operatorname {GW}(k)$ of $k$,

\[ \sum_{\text{lines}} \operatorname{Tr}_{L/k} \langle \alpha \rangle = 15 \cdot \langle 1 \rangle + 12 \cdot \langle -1 \rangle, \]

$\operatorname {Tr}_{L/k}$

$\operatorname {GW}(L) \to \operatorname {GW}(k)$

${\mathbf {C}}$

${\mathbf {R}}$

$\mathbf {A}^1$

Finding the so-called characteristic numbers of the complex projective plane $ \mathbb{C} {P}^{2} $ is a classical problem of enumerative geometry posed by Zeuthen more than a century ago. For a given $d$ and $g$ one has to find the number of degree $d$ genus $g$ curves that pass through a certain generic configuration of points and at the same time are tangent to a certain generic configuration of lines. The total number of points and lines in these two configurations is $3d- 1+ g$ so that the answer is a finite integer number. In this paper we translate this classical problem to the corresponding enumerative problem of tropical geometry in the case when $g= 0$. Namely, we show that the tropical problem is well posed and establish a special case of the correspondence theorem that ensures that the corresponding tropical and classical numbers coincide. Then we use the floor diagram calculus to reduce the problem to pure combinatorics. As a consequence, we express genus 0 characteristic numbers of $ \mathbb{C} {P}^{2} $ in terms of open Hurwitz numbers.

Hurwitz numbers count branched covers of the Riemann sphere with specified ramification data, or equivalently, transitive permutation factorizations in the symmetric group with specified cycle types. Monotone Hurwitz numbers count a restricted subset of these branched covers related to the expansion of complete symmetric functions in the Jucys–Murphy elements, and have arisen in recent work on the the asymptotic expansion of the Harish-Chandra–Itzykson–Zuber integral. In this paper we begin a detailed study of monotone Hurwitz numbers. We prove two results that are reminiscent of those for classical Hurwitz numbers. The first is the monotone join-cut equation, a partial differential equation with initial conditions that characterizes the generating function for monotone Hurwitz numbers in arbitrary genus. The second is our main result, in which we give an explicit formula for monotone Hurwitz numbers in genus zero.

We give a rigorous definition of tropical fans (the ‘local building blocks for tropical varieties’) and their morphisms. For a morphism of tropical fans of the same dimension we show that the number of inverse images (counted with suitable tropical multiplicities) of a point in the target does not depend on the chosen point; a statement that can be viewed as one of the important first steps of tropical intersection theory. As an application we consider the moduli spaces of rational tropical curves (both abstract and in some ℝr) together with the evaluation and forgetful morphisms. Using our results this gives new, easy and unified proofs of various tropical independence statements, e.g. of the fact that the numbers of rational tropical curves (in any ℝr) through given points are independent of the points.

given a family x/b of nodal curves we construct canonically and compatibly with base-change, via an explicit blow-up of the cartesian product xr/b, a family wr(x/b) that we show is isomorphic to the relative flag hilbert scheme parametrizing flags of subschemes of fibres of x/b with colengths $1,\dotsc,r$. although wr(x/b) is singular, the important sheaves on it are locally free, which allows us to study some intersection theory on it and deduce enumerative applications, including some relative multiple point formulae enumerating the length-r schemes contained simultaneously in some fibre of x/b and some fibre of a given map from x to a smooth variety.

Given a general plane curve Y of degree d, we compute the number nd of irreducible plane conics that are five-fold tangent to Y. This problem has been studied before by Vainsencher using classical methods, but it could not be solved because the calculations produced too many non-enumerative correction terms that could not be analyzed. In our current approach, we express the number nd in terms of relative Gromov–Witten invariants that can then be directly computed. As an application, we consider the K3 surface given as the double cover of $\mathbb{P}^2$ branched along a sextic curve. We compute the number of rational curves in this K3 surface in the homology class that is the pull-back of conics in $\mathbb{P}^2$, and compare this number with the corresponding Yau–Zaslow K3 invariant. This gives an example of such a K3 invariant for a non-primitive homology class.

Let X be a smooth projective variety. Using modified psi classes on the stack of genus-zero stable maps to X, a new associative quantum product is constructed on the cohomology space of X. When X is a homogeneous variety, this structure encodes the characteristic numbers of rational curves in X, and specialises to the usual quantum product upon resetting the parameters corresponding to the modified psi classes. For $X=\mathbb{P}^2$, the product is equivalent to that of the contact cohomology of Ernström and Kennedy.

A new method to approach enumerative questions about rational curves on algebraic varieties is described. The idea is to reduce the counting problems to computations on the Néron-Severi group of a ruled surface. Applications include a short proof of Kontsevich‘s formula for plane curves and the solution of the analogous problem for the Hirzebruch surface F$_3$.

Let S be a smooth, minimal rational surface. The geometry of the Severi variety parametrising irreducible, rational curves in a given linear system on S is studied. The results obtained are applied to enumerative geometry, in combination with ideas from Quantum Cohomology. Formulas enumerating rational curves are found, some of which generalised Kontsevich‘s formula for plane curves.

Consider the plane cubic curves over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 2. By blowing up the parameter space $P^9$ twice we obtain a variety B of complete cubics. We then compute the characteristic numbers for various families of cubics by intersecting cycles on B.