For each integer d≥3, let ℓ0(d) denote the maximal number of lines contained in a smooth surface of degree d in PC3.
We define
C76:=d→∞limsupd2ℓ0(d).
The constant C76 measures the quadratic growth rate of the maximal line count on smooth complex degree-d surfaces. The problem is open; the best established range is
3≤C76≤11.
[BS2007-lb-3d2] [BR2023-ub-11d2]
The current best general upper bound is due to Bauer and Rams,
ℓ0(d)≤11d2−30d+18,
while a standard infinite lower-bound family comes from surfaces of the form φ(x,y)−ψ(z,t)=0, which give at least 3d2 lines for every d. [BR2023-ub-11d2] [BS2007-lb-3d2]
Bauer and Rams also note that the exact fixed-degree maximum remains unknown for every d≥5. [BR2023-ub-11d2]