A regularity result for a locus of Brill type

Abstract

Let n,d be positive integers, with d even (say d=2e). Let X_(n,d) denote the locus of degree d hypersurfaces in P^n which consist of two e-fold hyperplanes. We bound the regularity of the ideal of this variety. Moreover, we show that this variety is r-normal for r at least 2. The proof of the latter part is is a result of a tripartite collaboration of algebraic geometry, classical invariant theory and theoretical physics. It is executed by reducing the question to a combinatorial calculation involving Feynman diagrams and hypergeometric functions.