On rational normal curves in projective space

In this paper we consider a generalization of a well known result by Veronese about rational normal curves. More precisely, given a collection of linear spaces in $\PP^n$ we study the existence of rational normal curves intersecting each component of the configuration maximally. We introduce different methods to show existence and non-existence of such curves. We also show how to apply these techniques to the study of defectivity of Segre-Veronese varieties.