In this paper, we prove the nonvanishing and some special cases of the abundance for log canonical threefold pairs over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic $p> 3$. More precisely, we prove that if $(X,B)$ be a projective log canonical threefold pair over k and $K_{X}+B$ is pseudo-effective, then $\kappa (K_{X}+B)\geq 0$, and if $K_{X}+B$ is nef and $\kappa (K_{X}+B)\geq 1$, then $K_{X}+B$ is semi-ample.

As applications, we show that the log canonical rings of projective log canonical threefold pairs over k are finitely generated and the abundance holds when the nef dimension $n(K_{X}+B)\leq 2$ or when the Albanese map $a_{X}:X\to \mathrm {Alb}(X)$ is nontrivial. Moreover, we prove that the abundance for klt threefold pairs over k implies the abundance for log canonical threefold pairs over k.

We prove that after inverting the Planck constant $h$, the Bezrukavnikov–Kaledin quantization $(X, {\mathcal {O}}_h)$ of symplectic variety $X$ in characteristic $p$ with $H^2(X, {\mathcal {O}}_X) =0$ is Morita equivalent to a certain central reduction of the algebra of differential operators on $X$.

Let $X$ be a smooth projective variety defined over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic $p$ whose tangent bundle is nef. We prove that $X$ admits a smooth morphism $X \to M$ such that the fibers are Fano varieties with nef tangent bundle and $T_M$ is numerically flat. We also prove that extremal contractions exist as smooth morphisms. As an application, we prove that, if the Frobenius morphism can be lifted modulo $p^2$, then $X$ admits, up to a finite étale Galois cover, a smooth morphism onto an ordinary abelian variety whose fibers are products of projective spaces.

We prove the Kawamata–Viehweg vanishing theorem for surfaces of del Pezzo type over perfect fields of positive characteristic $p>5$. As a consequence, we show that klt threefold singularities over a perfect base field of characteristic $p>5$ are rational. We show that these theorems are sharp by providing counterexamples in characteristic $5$.

We establish two results on three-dimensional del Pezzo fibrations in positive characteristic. First, we give an explicit bound for torsion index of relatively torsion line bundles. Second, we show the existence of purely inseparable sections with explicit bounded degree. To prove these results, we study log del Pezzo surfaces defined over imperfect fields.

We study metric Diophantine approximation for function fields, specifically, the problem of improving Dirichlet's theorem in Diophantine approximation.

We show that any Kawamata log terminal del Pezzo surface over an algebraically closed field of large characteristic is globally $F$-regular or it admits a log resolution which lifts to characteristic zero. As a consequence, we prove the Kawamata–Viehweg vanishing theorem for klt del Pezzo surfaces of large characteristic.

We study the McKay correspondence for representations of the cyclic group of order $p$ in characteristic $p$. The main tool is the motivic integration generalized to quotient stacks associated to representations. Our version of the change of variables formula leads to an explicit computation of the stringy invariant of the quotient variety. A consequence is that a crepant resolution of the quotient variety (if any) has topological Euler characteristic $p$ as in the tame case. Also, we link a crepant resolution with a count of Artin–Schreier extensions of the power series field with respect to weights determined by ramification jumps and the representation.

The problem of resolution of singularities in positive characteristic can be reformulated as follows: fix a hypersurface $X$, embedded in a smooth scheme, with points of multiplicity at most $n$. Let an $n$-sequence of transformations of $X$ be a finite composition of monoidal transformations with centers included in the $n$-fold points of $X$, and of its successive strict transforms. The open problem (in positive characteristic) is to prove that there is an $n$-sequence such that the final strict transform of $X$ has no points of multiplicity $n$ (no $n$-fold points). In characteristic zero, such an $n$-sequence is defined in two steps. The first consists of the transformation of $X$ to a hypersurface with $n$-fold points in the so-called monomial case. The second step consists of the elimination of these $n$-fold points (in the monomial case), which is achieved by a simple combinatorial procedure for choices of centers. The invariants treated in this work allow us to present a notion of strong monomial case which parallels that of monomial case in characteristic zero: if a hypersurface is within the strong monomial case we prove that a resolution can be achieved in a combinatorial manner.

The S-fundamental group scheme is the group scheme corresponding to the Tannaka category of numerically flat vector bundles. We use determinant line bundles to prove that the S-fundamental group of a product of two complete varieties is a product of their S-fundamental groups as conjectured by Mehta and the author. We also compute the abelian part of the S-fundamental group scheme and the S-fundamental group scheme of an abelian variety or a variety with trivial étale fundamental group.

Using limit linear series and a result controlling degeneration from separable maps to inseparable maps, we give a formula for the number of rational functions (up to automorphism of the target) on the projective line with ramification to order ei at general points Pi, in the case that all ei are less than the characteristic. Unlike the case of characteristic 0, the answer is not given by Schubert calculus, nor is the number of maps always finite for distinct Pi, even in the tamely ramified case. However, finiteness for general Pi, obtained by exploiting the relationship to branched covers, is a key part of the argument.

We prove a lower bound for the number of singular fibres of a non-isotrivial semi-stable family of curves over the projective line, in positive characteristic. The result is the same obtained previously by Beauville in characteristic zero, namely that the number is at least 4. Furthermore some consequences are discussed in the case that the number is exactly 4.

Consider the plane cubic curves over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 2. By blowing up the parameter space $P^9$ twice we obtain a variety B of complete cubics. We then compute the characteristic numbers for various families of cubics by intersecting cycles on B.