K3 surfaces and cubic fourfolds with Abelian motive

Abstract: Let $\mathcal{C}d$ denote Hassett's Noether-Lefschetz divisor in the moduli space of cubic fourfolds given by cubics with intersection form of discriminant $d$. We exhibit arithmetic conditions on 20 indexes $d_1,\dots, d{20}$ that ensure that the divisors $\mathcal{C}{d_1},\dots,\mathcal{C}{d_{20}}$ all intersect one another. This allows us to produce examples of rational cubic fourfolds with an associated K3 surface with any prescribed N\'eron-Severi rank. Then we apply this result to show that there exist one dimensional families of cubic fourfolds with finite dimensional Chow motive of Abelian type inside every divisor of special cubic fourfolds. This also implies Abelianity and finite dimensionality of the motive of related Hyperk\"ahler varieties, such as the Fano variety of lines and the LLSvS 8fold. A similar remark, plus some elementary Brill-Noether geometry of the associated K3 surfaces, allows us to show the Abelianity of the motive of an infinity of LSV 10folds, associated to Pfaffian cubic fourfolds. After that, starting from known 4-dimensional families of K3 surfaces, we construct two families $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{G}$ of cubic fourfolds whose motive is of Abelian type. Cubics from the first family are smooth, and their Chow motive is finite dimensional and Abelian. Those from the second family are singular, and their motives are Schur-finite and Abelian in Voevodsky's triangulated category of motives.