Non-defectivity of Grassmann bundles over a curve

Abstract

Let Gr(2, E) be the Grassmann bundle of two-planes associated to a general bundle E over a curve X. We prove that an embedding of Gr(2, E) by a certain twist of the relative Plücker map is not secant defective. This yields a new and more geometric proof of the Hirschowitz-type bound on the Lagrangian Segre invariant for orthogonal bundles over X, analogous to those given for vector bundles and symplectic bundles in [I. Choe and G. H. Hitching, Secant varieties and Hirschowitz bound on vector bundles over a curve, Manuscripta Math. 133 (2010) 465–477] and [I. Choe and G. H. Hitching, Lagrangian sub-bundles of symplectic vector bundles over a curve, Math. Proc. Cambridge Phil. Soc. 153 (2012) 193–214]. From the non-defectivity we also deduce an interesting feature of a general orthogonal bundle over X, contrasting with the classical and symplectic cases: Any maximal Lagrangian subbundle intersects at least one other maximal Lagrangian subbundle in positive rank.