On large prime actions on Riemann surfaces (Q2170271)

Let \(S\) be a compact Riemann surface (in what follows, a surface) of genus \(g \geq 2\). Then, the group of automorphisms of \(S\) has order at most \(84(g-1)\). There are infinitely many values of \(g\) attaining this bound, and also infinitely many for which there exists no surface of genus \(g\) with \(84(g-1)\) automorphisms. On the contrary, for each \(g \geq 2\), there exists a surface of genus \(g\) with at least \(8(g+1)\) automorphisms. Moreover, for infinitely many values of \(g\) there are not surfaces of genus \(g\) with more than \(8(g+1)\) automorphisms. In his important paper [Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Ser. A I, Math. 16, No. 1, 83--94 (1991; Zbl 0766.30036)], \textit{R. S. Kulkarni} proved that if \(g \not\equiv 3\ (\text{mod}\ 4)\), with a finite number of exceptions, the so-called Accola-Maclachlan curve, of equation \(y^2 = x^{2(g+1)} - 1\), is the unique surface of genus \(g\) with \(8(g+1)\) automorphisms. If a surface of genus \(g\) admits an automorphism of order \(q > g\) with \(q\) prime, then either \(q = 2g+1\), the Lefschetz surfaces which were studied by \textit{E. Gómez González} in [Bol. Soc. Mat. Mex., III Ser. 2, No. 2, 115--128 (1996; Zbl 0920.14009)], or else \(q = g+1\). The paper under review considers this second case. In other words, the author studies the Riemann surfaces of genus \(g \geq 4\) with automorphism group of order \(\lambda(g+1)\), with \(\lambda\) an integer and \(g+1 = q\) a prime number. The main result is Theorem 1, proved in Section 3 of the article. This result provides a classification of those surfaces. In particular, \(\lambda \in \{1,2,3,4,8\}\), and for each of these cases the surfaces, the respective automorphism group, and the signature with which the group acts, are completely determined. It is worth noting that the case of \(q=5\) must be treated separately, since it admits a few additional possibilities. The following step is to give the algebraic description of each of these surfaces, by means of its equation as an algebraic curve, and the generator(s) of the automorphism group in those terms. These questions are solved in Theorem 2, proved in Section 4. In Section 6, the author proves Theorem 3, which gives the group algebra decomposition of the Jacobian varieties of the surfaces involved in Theorem 1. A final Addendum provides explicitly the period matrix of the Accola-Maclachlan curve of genus 4. For genus 2, it was obtained by \textit{E. Bujalance} et al. in [Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Math. 25, No. 1, 161--177 (2000; Zbl 0962.14022)].