We consider mirror symmetry for Fano manifolds, and describe how one can recover the classification of 3-dimensional Fano manifolds from the study of their mirrors. We sketch a program to classify 4-dimensional Fano manifolds using these ideas.
This paper suggests a new approach to questions of rationality of threefolds based on category theory. Following M. Ballard, D. Favero, L. Katzarkov (ArXiv:1012.0864) and D. Favero, L. Katzarkov (Noether--Lefschetz Spectra and Algebraic cycles, in preparation) we enhance constructions from A. Kuznetsov (arXiv:0904.4330) by introducing Noether--Lefschetz spectra --- an interplay between Orlov spectra (C. Oliva, Algebraic cycles and Hodge theory on generalized Reye congruences, Compos. Math. 92, No. 1 (1994) 1--22) and Hochschild homology. The main goal of this paper is to suggest a series of interesting examples where above techniques might apply. We start by constructing a sextic double solid $X$ with 35 nodes and torsion in $H^3(X,\ZZ)$. This is a novelty --- after the classical example of Artin and Mumford (1972), this is the second example of a Fano threefold with a torsion in the 3-rd integer homology group. In particular $X$ is non-rational. We consider other examples as well --- $V_{10}$ with 10 singular points and double covering of quadric ramified in octic with 20 nodal singular points. After analyzing the geometry of their Landau--Ginzburg models we suggest a general non-rationality picture based on Homological Mirror Symmetry and category theory.
The asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the quantum differential equation of a Fano manifold F defines a characteristic class A_F of F, called the principal asymptotic class. Gamma conjecture of Vasily Golyshev and the present authors claims that the principal asymptotic class A_F equals the Gamma class associated to Euler's Gamma-function. We illustrate in the case of toric varieties, toric complete intersections and Grassmannians how this conjecture follows from mirror symmetry. We also prove that Gamma conjecture is compatible with taking hyperplane sections, and give a heuristic argument how the mirror oscillatory integral and the Gamma class for the projective space arise from the polynomial loop space.