Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1210.6551

On the class of caustics by reflection

Abstract

Given any light position S in the complex projective plane P^2 and any algebraic curve C of P^2 (with any kind of singularities), we consider the incident lines coming from S (i.e. the lines containing S) and their reflected lines after reflection off the mirror curve C. The caustic by reflection is the Zariski clusure of the envelope of these reflected lines. We introduce the notion of reflected polar curve and express the class of the caustic by reflection in terms of intersection numbers of C with the reflected polar curve, thanks to a fundamental lemma established in [14]. This approach enables us to get an explicit formula for the class of the caustic by reflection in every case in terms of intersection numbers of the initial curve C.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Alfrederic Josse, Francoise Pene. 2013-04-14. On the class of caustics by reflection. https://arxiv.org/abs/1210.6551

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Perverse Euler Characteristics of Hermitian Locally Symmetric Spaces

We prove that finite-volume locally Hermitian symmetric spaces of noncompact type have nonnegative perverse Euler characteristics. To show this, we obtain a nefness result for the logarithmic cotangent bundle of a smooth toroidal compactification. Combining this with a positivity criterion for Euler characteristics of perverse sheaves, we deduce the nonnegativity result. We further prove that the inequality is strict for perverse sheaves with full support. As applications, we get nonnegativity results for perverse Euler characteristics on various moduli spaces.

math.AG

Coupled Pklt Tuples and Varieties of Pklt Type

We introduce asymptotic multiplier ideal sheaves and log canonical thresholds associated with tuples of pseudoeffective divisors on a projective klt pair. We prove that the threshold of a coupled potentially klt tuple is computed by a quasi-monomial valuation. For varieties of potentially klt type, we prove that every big divisor admits a birational Zariski decomposition with semiample positive part. We also prove finite generation of multisection rings of big divisors and give a criterion for a variety of potentially klt type to be a Mori dream space.

math.AG

Graded Betti numbers of general curves of large degree

Let $C$ be a smooth projective complex curve of genus $g$ and gonality $k$, and $L$ be a very ample line bundle on $C$. When $L$ has sufficiently large degree, the vanishing and nonvanishing of the Koszul cohomology groups $K_{p,q}(C,L)$ have been determined previously, but the exact values of the graded Betti numbers $\kappa_{p,q}(C, L)$ remain largely unknown. In this paper, we give explicit closed formulas for all graded Betti numbers $\kappa_{p,q}(C, L)$ when the Brill--Noether locus $W_k^1(C)$ has the expected dimension and $H^1(C, L \otimes \omega_C^{-1})=0$. Consequently, we determine the complete Betti table for a general curve when $\deg L \geq 4g-3$ or when $\deg L \geq 3g-3$ and $L$ is general. We also explicitly compute the Boij--S\"{o}derberg coefficient of the section ring $R(C, L)$ governing asymptotic purity, and show eventual monotonicity of the remaining coefficients: they decrease for hyperelliptic curves and increase under a natural generic reducedness assumption on the relevant Brill--Noether loci.

math.AG