Isolated rational curves on K 3-fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds

Abstract

In this paper we study 16 complete intersection K3-fibered Calabi--Yau variety types in biprojective space ℙn1}×ℙ1. These are all the CICY-types that are K3 fibered by the projection on the second factor. We prove existence of isolated rational curves of bidegree (d,0) for every positive integer d on a general Calabi–Yau variety of these types. The proof depends heavily on existence theorems for curves on K3-surfaces proved by S. Mori and K. Oguiso. Some of these varieties are related to Calabi–Yau varieties in projective space by a determinantal contraction, and we use this to prove existence of rational curves of every degree for a general Calabi–Yau variety in projective space.