# Cone (algebraic geometry)

In algebraic geometry, a cone is a generalization of a vector bundle. Specifically, given a scheme X, the relative Spec

of a quasi-coherent graded OX-algebra R is called the cone or affine cone of R. Similarly, the relative Proj

is called the projective cone of C or R.

Note: The cone comes with the -action due to the grading of R; this action is a part of the data of a cone (whence the terminology).

## Examples

• If X = Spec k is a point and R is a homogeneous coordinate ring, then the affine cone of R is the (usual) affine cone over the projective variety corresponding to R.
• If for some ideal sheaf I, then is the normal cone to the closed scheme determined by I.
• If for some line bundle L, then is the total space of the dual of L.
• More generally, given a vector bundle (finite-rank locally free sheaf) E on X, if R=Sym(E*) is the symmetric algebra generated by the dual of E, then the cone is the total space of E, often written just as E, and the projective cone is the projective bundle of E, which is written as .

## Properties

If is a graded homomorphism of graded OX-algebras, then one gets an induced morphism between the cones:

.

If the homomorphism is surjective, then one gets closed immersions

In particular, assuming R0 = OX, the construction applies to the projection (which is an augmentation map) and gives

.

It is a section; i.e., is the identity and is called the zero-section embedding.

Consider the graded algebra R[t] with variable t having degree one. Then the affine cone of it is denoted by . The projective cone is called the projective completion of CR. Indeed, the zero-locus t = 0 is exactly and the complement is the open subscheme CR. The locus t = 0 is called the hyperplane at infinity.

## O(1)

Let R be a graded OX-algebra such that R0 = OX and R is locally generated as OX-algebra by R1. Then, by definition, the projective cone of R is:

where the colimit runs over open affine subsets U of X. By assumption R(U) has finitely many degree-one generators xi's. Thus,

Then has the line bundle O(1) given by the hyperplane bundle of ; gluing such local O(1)'s, which agree locally, gives the line bundle O(1) on .

For any integer n, one also writes O(n) for the n-th tensor power of O(1). If the cone C=SpecXR is the total space of a vector bundle E, then O(-1) is the tautological line bundle on the projective bundle P(E).

Remark: When the (local) generators of R have degree other than one, the construction of O(1) still goes through but with a weighted projective space in place of a projective space; so the resulting O(1) is not necessarily a line bundle. In the language of divisor, this O(1) corresponds to a Q-Cartier divisor.