On the singular loci of higher secant varieties of Veronese embeddings

Abstract: The $k$-th secant variety of a projective variety $X \subset \mathbb{P}^N$, denoted by $\sigma_k(X)$, is defined to be the closure of the union of $(k-1)$-planes spanned by $k$ points on $X$. In this paper, we examine the $k$-th secant variety $\sigma_k(v_d(\mathbb{P}^n)) \subset \mathbb{P}^N$ of the image of the $d$-uple Veronese embedding $v_d$ of $\mathbb{P}^n$ to $\mathbb{P}^N$ with $N=\binom{n+d}{d}-1$, and focus on the singular locus of $\sigma_k(v_d(\mathbb{P}^n))$, which is only known for $k\le3$. To study the singularity for arbitrary $k,d,n$, we define \emph{the $m$-subsecant locus} of $\sigma_k(v_d(\mathbb{P}^n))$ to be the union of $\sigma_k(v_d(\mathbb{P}^m))$ with any $m$-plane $\mathbb{P}^m \subset \mathbb{P}^n$. By investigating the projective geometry of moving embedded tangent spaces along subvarieties and using known results on the secant defectivity and the identifiability of symmetric tensors, we determine whether the $m$-subsecant locus is contained in the singular locus of $\sigma_k(v_d(\mathbb{P}^n))$ or not. Depending on the value of $k$, these subsecant loci show an interesting trichotomy between generic smoothness, non-trivial singularity, and trivial singularity. In many cases, they can be used as a new source for the singularity of the $k$-th secant variety of $v_d(\mathbb{P}^n)$ other than the trivial one, the $(k-1)$-th secant variety of $v_d(\mathbb{P}^n)$. We also consider the case of the $4$-th secant variety of $v_d(\mathbb{P}^n)$ by applying main results and computing conormal space via a certain type of Young flattening. Finally, we present some generalizations and discussions for further developments.