PGL(2) actions on Grassmannians and projective construction of rational curves with given restricted tangent bundle

Abstract: We give an explicit parametrization of the Hilbert schemes of rational curves C in P^n having a given splitting type of the restricted tangent bundle from P^n to C. The adopted technique uses the description of such curves as projections of a rational normal curve from a suitable linear vertex and a classification of those vertices that correspond to the required splitting type of the restricted tangent bundle. This classification involves the study of a suitable PGL(2) action on the relevant Grassmannian variety.