In this paper, we develop a new method to classify abelian automorphism groups of hypersurfaces. We use this method to classify (Theorem 4.2) abelian groups that admit a liftable action on a smooth cubic fourfold. A parallel result (Theorem 5.1) is obtained for quartic surfaces.
We show that the maximal number of planes in a complex smooth cubic fourfold in ${mathbb P}^5$ is $405$, realized by the Fermat cubic only; the maximal number of real planes in a real smooth cubic fourfold is $357$, realized by the so-called Clebsch--Segre cubic. Altogether, there are but three (up to projective equivalence) cubics with more than $350$ planes.
In [1309.1899], Ranestad and Voisin showed, quite surprisingly, that the divisor in the moduli space of cubic fourfolds consisting of cubics apolar to a Veronese surface is not a Noether-Lefschetz divisor. We give an independent proof of this by exhibiting an explicit cubic fourfold X in the divisor and using point counting methods over finite fields to show X is Noether-Lefschetz general. We also show that two other divisors considered in [ibid.] are not Noether-Lefschetz divisors.
We show the existence of rank 6 Ulrich bundles on a smooth cubic fourfold. First, we construct a simple sheaf E of rank 6 as an elementary modification of an ACM bundle of rank 6 on a smooth cubic fourfold. Such an E appears as an extension of two Lehn-Lehn-Sorger-van Straten sheaves. Then we prove that a general deformation of E(1) becomes Ulrich. In particular, this says that general cubic fourfolds have Ulrich complexity 6.
We prove that the Chow motives of two smooth cubic fourfolds whose Kuznetsov components are Fourier-Mukai derived-equivalent are isomorphic as Frobenius algebra objects. As a corollary, we obtain that there exists a Galois-equivariant isomorphism between their l-adic cohomology Frobenius algebras. We also discuss the case where the Kuznetsov component of a smooth cubic fourfold is Fourier-Mukai derived-equivalent to a K3 surface.
Cubic fourfolds behave in many ways like K3 surfaces. Certain cubics - conjecturally, the ones that are rational - have specific K3s associated to them geometrically. Hassett has studied cubics with K3s associated to them at the level of Hodge theory, and Kuznetsov has studied cubics with K3s associated to them at the level of derived categories. These two notions of having an associated K3 should coincide. We prove that they coincide generically: Hassetts cubics form a countable union of irreducible Noether-Lefschetz divisors in moduli space, and we show that Kuznetsovs cubics are a dense subset of these, forming a non-empty, Zariski open subset in each divisor.