The generalized Franchetta conjecture for some hyper-Kähler varieties

Abstract

The generalized Franchetta conjecture for hyper-Kähler varieties predicts that an algebraic cycle on the universal family of certain polarized hyper-Kähler varieties is fiberwise rationally equivalent to zero if and only if it vanishes in cohomology fiberwise. We establish Franchetta-type results for certain low (Hilbert) powers of low degree K3 surfaces, for the Beauville–Donagi family of Fano varieties of lines on cubic fourfolds and its relative square, and for 0-cycles and codimension-2 cycles for the Lehn–Lehn–Sorger–van Straten family of hyper-Kähler eightfolds. We also draw many consequences in the direction of the Beauville–Voisin conjecture as well as Voisin's refinement involving coisotropic subvarieties. In the appendix, we establish a new relation among tautological cycles on the square of the Fano variety of lines of a smooth cubic fourfold and provide some applications.