Noether-Lefschetz theorem with base locus

Abstract

We compute the class groups of very general normal surfaces in complex projective three-space containing an arbitrary base locus $Z$, thereby extending the classic Noether-Lefschetz theorem (the case when $Z$ is empty). Our method is an adaptation of Griffiths and Harris' degeneration proof, simplified by a cohomology and base change argument. We give applications to computing Picard groups, which generalize several known results.