Nonspecial varieties and generalised Lang–Vojta conjectures

Abstract

Abstract We construct a family of fibred threefolds $X_m \to (S , \Delta )$ such that $X_m$ has no étale cover that dominates a variety of general type but it dominates the orbifold $(S,\Delta )$ of general type. Following Campana, the threefolds $X_m$ are called weakly special but not special. The Weak Specialness Conjecture predicts that a weakly special variety defined over a number field has a potentially dense set of rational points. We prove that if m is big enough, the threefolds $X_m$ present behaviours that contradict the function field and analytic analogue of the Weak Specialness Conjecture. We prove our results by adapting the recent method of Ru and Vojta. We also formulate some generalisations of known conjectures on exceptional loci that fit into Campana’s program and prove some cases over function fields.