TITLE: Program for calculating cohomology
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: Does it exist a computer program which calculates the cohomology of projective algebraic varieties ?  For example, smooth surface in $\mathbb{P}^3$? like $\sum_0^3 X_i^3=0$

REPLY [12 votes]: I will work out a couple of examples the Fermat cubic surface using MacAulay2. For instance we may compute the cohomology of the cotangent sheaf and of the tangent sheaf of the cubic surface $Z(x^3+y^3+z^3+w^3)\subset\mathbb{P}^3$ using MacAulay2.
Form this you can figure out how to compute sheaf cohomology for other sheaves using MacAulay2. 
Form this example one gets already interesting informations about $X$. For instance $H^{0}(X,T_X) = T_{Id}Aut(X)$, and $h^{0}(X,T_X) = 0$ implies that $Aut(X)$ is finite. Furthermore $H^{1}(X,T_{X})$ parametrizes first order infinitesimal deformations of $X$. We get $h^{1}(X,T_{X}) = 4$. Ideed $X$ is the blow-up of $\mathbb{P}^2$ at six general points. We have $6\cdot 2 = 12$ possible choices for the six points, but we have to subtract the dimension of $Aut(\mathbb{P}^2)$. Finally $12-8 = 4$, as we expected.

Macaulay2, version 1.6
with packages: ConwayPolynomials, Elimination, IntegralClosure, LLLBases, PrimaryDecomposition, ReesAlgebra, TangentCone

i1 : P3 = QQ[x,y,z,w]
o1 = P3
o1 : PolynomialRing

i2 : I = ideal(x^3+y^3+z^3+w^3)
o2 = ideal(x^3  + y^3  + z^3  + w^3 )
o2 : Ideal of P3

i3 : X = variety(I)
o3 = X
o3 : ProjectiveVariety

i4 : CT = cotangentSheaf(X)
o4 = cokernel {2} | z  0  0  w  0   x2  y2 0  |
              {2} | x  w  0  0  y2  -z2 0  0  |
              {2} | -y 0  w  0  x2  0   z2 0  |
              {2} | 0  y  x  0  -w2 0   0  z2 |
              {2} | 0  -z 0  x  0   -w2 0  y2 |
              {2} | 0  0  -z -y 0   0   w2 x2 |
o4 : coherent sheaf on X, quotient of OO^6_X  (-2)

i5 : cohomology(0,CT)
o5 = 0
o5 : QQ-module

i6 : cohomology(1,CT)
o6 = QQ^7
o6 : QQ-module, free

i7 : cohomology(2,CT)
o7 = 0
o7 : QQ-module

i8 : T = dual(CT)
o8 = image {-2} | -xz2  yz2    z3+w3 0     yw2    -xw2  |
           {-2} | y3+z3 x2y    x2z   -yw2  0      zw2   |
           {-2} | xy2   -y3-w3 -y2z  -xw2  zw2    0     |
           {-2} | -y2w  -x2w   0     z3+w3 x2z    y2z   |
           {-2} | z2w   0      x2w   yz2   x2y    y3+w3 |
           {-2} | 0     z2w    -y2w  xz2   -y3-z3 xy2   |
o8 : coherent sheaf on X, subsheaf of OO^6_X  (2)

i9 : cohomology(0,T)
o9 = 0
o9 : QQ-module

i10 : cohomology(1,T)
o10 = QQ^4
o10 : QQ-module, free

i11 : cohomology(2,T)
o11 = 0
o11 : QQ-module