Math 2.0

Algebraic geometry Definition

K3 surface

Builds on Algebraic surfaceCanonical bundleSheaf cohomology

Definition

Let XX be a smooth projective algebraic surface over an algebraically closed field, with structure sheaf ๐’ชX\mathcal{O}_X and canonical bundle ฯ‰X\omega_X. XX is a K3 surface if:

  1. ฯ‰Xโ‰…๐’ชX\omega_X \cong \mathcal{O}_X, and
  2. the sheaf cohomology group H1(X,๐’ชX)H^1(X, \mathcal{O}_X) is 00.

Remarks

Over โ„‚\C, the same two conditions define K3 surfaces among all compact complex surfaces; such a surface need not be projective. A K3 surface has Hodge numbers h2,0=1h^{2,0} = 1 and h1,1=20h^{1,1} = 20, second Betti number 2222 and topological Euler characteristic 2424. Example: a smooth quartic XโŠ‚โ„™3X \subset \mathbb{P}^3 has ฯ‰Xโ‰…๐’ชX(4โˆ’4)=๐’ชX\omega_X \cong \mathcal{O}_X(4 - 4) = \mathcal{O}_X by adjunction, and H1(X,๐’ชX)=0H^1(X, \mathcal{O}_X) = 0 from the exact sequence 0โ†’๐’ชโ„™3(โˆ’4)โ†’๐’ชโ„™3โ†’๐’ชXโ†’00 \to \mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{P}^3}(-4) \to \mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{P}^3} \to \mathcal{O}_X \to 0 and the vanishing of H1H^1 and H2H^2 of line bundles on โ„™3\mathbb{P}^3. Non-example: an abelian surface, such as Eร—EE \times E for an elliptic curve EE, has trivial canonical bundle but dimโกH1(X,๐’ชX)=2\dim H^1(X, \mathcal{O}_X) = 2, so it fails clause 2. Other examples are double covers of โ„™2\mathbb{P}^2 branched along a smooth sextic and the Kummer surfaces, obtained from abelian surfaces by dividing by xโ†ฆโˆ’xx \mapsto -x and resolving the 1616 singular points.

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  1. Algebraic surface concept
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Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K3_surface
About this page
TagH5AQZ3336P
URIm2://H5AQZ3336P
Kinddefinition
WritingW0 stub
MSC14J28
DefinesK3 surface
UsesAlgebraic surface, Canonical bundle, Sheaf cohomology
Changed2 November 2026

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