Maps from K-trivial varieties and connectedness problems

Abstract

In this paper we study varieties covered by rational or elliptic curves. First, we show that images of Calabi-Yau or irreducible symplectic varieties under rational maps are almost always rationally connected. Second, we investigate elliptically connected and elliptically chain connected varieties, and varieties swept out by a family of elliptic curves. Among other things, we show that Calabi-Yau or hyperkähler manifolds which are covered by a family of elliptic curves contain uniruled divisors and that elliptically chain connected varieties of dimension at least two contain a rational curve, and so do K-trivial varieties with finite fundamental group which are covered by elliptic curves.