Kawamata-Viehweg Vanishing Theorem

Tang-Kai Lee

January 2019

This article shows the Kawamata-Viehweg vanishing theorem as a corollary of the Nadel vanishing theorem.
Theorem. (Kawamata-Viehweg) Let X be a projective manifold of dimension n and L a line bundle on it. If L can be
k k
1
written as L = NM + ∑ γ j Ej with M a numerically effective and big line bundle, ∑ Ej simple normal crossing and
j =1 j =1
all γ j non-negative rational numbers less than 1, then H p ( X, L + KX ) = 0 for p ≥ 1.

Proof. We use the following facts.

Theorem. (Nadel) Let X be a projective manifold and L be a holomorphic line bundle on it with a possibly singular metric
h, in the sense that it can be expressed as h = e−φ locally. If i ∂ ∂¯ φ ≥ ω for some positive (1, 1)-form ω in the distribution
sense, then H p ( X, I(φ)( L + KX )) = 0 for p ≥ 1, where I(φ) := { f ∈ O X | f e−φ is locally integrable on X.} is the
multiplier ideal sheaf with respect to the weight φ and KX is the canonical line bundle on X.
Theorem. (Riemann-Roch) Let L1 , ..., Lr be Cartier divisors on a variety X of dimension n. Then

( k 1 L1 + · · · + k r Lr ) n
χ( X, (k1 L1 + · · · + kr Lr )) = + O ( k n −1 ).
n!

Our strategy is to construct a metric on L such that its multiplier ideal sheaf is the whole O X .
By the projectivity of X, we can get an ample line bundle A on X by the pull back of O(1) of some CPn such
that A − KX is ample and 3A admits a smooth divisor Y, where the former is by replacing A with mA for large
m ∈ N and the latter is by Bertini’s theorem and its basepoints freeness.
Since M is numerically effective, for all m ∈ N, mM + A is ample. Thus there is some lm ∈ N such that
lm (mM + A) is very ample, say its divisor Dm .
Because A − KX is ample, by the Kodaira vanishing theorem, H p ( X, mM + A) = 0 for p ≥ 1. Then by the
Riemann-Roch theorem,

(mM + A)n Mn n
h0 ( X, mM + A) = + O ( m n −1 ) ≥ m + O ( m n −1 )
n! n!
because c1 ( A) > 0 and c1 ( M ) ≥ 0 due to its numerical effectivity and bigness and

h0 (Y, (mM + A)Y ) = O(mn−1 ),



so when we take some m0 large, we have a section of m0 M + A on X which is vanishing on Y, say it represents
a divisor Y + V.
Now we have 3A = Y, lm (mM + A) = Dm and m0 M + A = Y + V, giving

k k
1 1 1 1
L= M + ∑ γ j Ej = Dm + V+ A + ∑ γ j Ej .
N j =1
( m + m0 ) l m N ( m + m0 ) N ( m + m0 ) N j =1

1
Now we start to construct a metric on L by the canonical sections of the divisors involved, say they are s Dm ,
sV , and s Ej . To make the multiplier ideal sheaf trivial, we have to take some suitable exponents to make the
sections’ some power locally integrable, and because Dm and Ej are all smooth, we can achieve this by control
their power directly.
First, take p1 > 1 so small that for all j = 1, ..., k, p1 γ j < 1. Then

1
k
2p γ
∏ |s Ej | 1 j
j =1

is locally integrable by the normal crossing and smoothness.

Second, choose p2 , p3 > 1 such that p1 + p12 + p+
1
3 = 1 because we want to use the Holder’s inequality to
1
dominate the metric’s local integral. Now take m so large that

1
2p3
| s V | ( m + m0 ) N

is locally integrable and (m + m0 ) Nlm > p2 , then

1
2p2
|s Dm | (m+m0 ) Nlm

is also locally integrable by its smoothness. (Because sV may not be smooth, we cannot achieve this goal by
just controlling its exponent.)
Finally, since A is ample, let h A be a positive metric on it.
Now define a function χ such that

hA
e−χ = .
2 2 k
| s Dm | (m+m0 ) Nlm
|sV | (m+m0 ) N ∏ |s Ej |2γj
j =1

Note that since A is ample, i ∂ ∂¯ χ of course dominates some positive (1, 1)-form. Now it suffices to show that
its ideal sheaf I(χ) is trivial. For any x ∈ X, by the locally integrability of the functions above, choose a
neighborhood U of x such that

1 1 1
Z Z Z
2p2 , 2p3 and < ∞.
U U U k
2p γ
| s Dm | (m+m0 ) Nlm
| sV | ( m + m0 ) N
∏ |s Ej | 1 j
j =1

Then by the Holder’s inequality,

1 1
p1 1
p1 1
p1
Z Z Z Z
≤ 2p2
2
2p3
3 1 < ∞.
U 2 2 k U U U k
2γ j 2p1 γ j
| s Dm | (m+m0 ) Nlm
| sV | ( m + m0 ) N
∏ |s Ej | | s Dm | (m+m0 ) Nlm
| sV | ( m + m0 ) N
∏ |s Ej |
j =1 j =1

Since h A is a smooth metric, it’s of course locally integrable, and the conclusion follows.