A relative Segre zeta function

Abstract

The choice of a homogeneous ideal in a polynomial ring defines a closed subscheme $Z$ in a projective space as well as an infinite sequence of cones over $Z$ in progressively higher dimension projective spaces. Recent work of Aluffi introduces the Segre zeta function, a rational power series with integer coefficients which captures the relationship between the Segre class of $Z$ and those of its cones. The goal of this note is to define a relative version of this construction for closed subschemes of projective bundles over a smooth variety. If $Z$ is a closed subscheme of such a projective bundle $P(E)$, this relative Segre zeta function will be a rational power series which describes the Segre class of the cone over $Z$ in every projective bundle "dominating" $P(E)$. When the base variety is a point we recover the absolute Segre zeta function for projective spaces. Part of our construction requires $Z$ to be the zero scheme of a section of a bundle on $P(E)$ of rank smaller than that of $E$ that is able to extend to larger projective bundles. The question of what bundles may extend in this sense seems independently interesting and we discuss some related results, showing that at a minimum one can always count on direct sums of line bundles to extend. Furthermore, the relative Segre zeta function depends only on the Segre class of $Z$ and the total Chern class of the bundle defining $Z$, and the basic forms of the numerator and denominator can be described. As an application of our work we derive a Segre zeta function for products of projective spaces and prove its key properties.