Stability of tails and 4-canonical models (Q2275729)

From the abstract: We show that the GIT quotients of suitable loci in the Hilbert and Chow schemes of 4-canonically embedded curves of genus \(g\geq 3\) are the moduli space \(\overline{M}_g^{\text{ps}}\) of pseudostable curves constructed by \textit{D. Schubert} [Compos. Math. 78, No. 3, 297--313 (1991; Zbl 0735.14022)] using Chow varieties and 3-canonical models. The only new ingredient needed in the Hilbert scheme variant is a more careful analysis of the stability with respect to a certain 1-ps \(\lambda\) of the \(m\)th Hilbert points of curves \(X\) with elliptic tails. We compute the exact weight with which \(\lambda\) acts, and not just the leading term in \(m\) of this weight. A similar analysis of stability of curves with rational cuspidal tails allows us to determine the stable and semistable 4-canonical Chow loci. Although here the geometry of the quotient is more complicated because there are strictly semistable orbits, we are able to again identify it as \(\overline{M}_g^{\text{ps}}\). Our computations yield, as byproducts, examples of both \(m\)-Hilbert unstable and \(m\)-Hilbert stable \(X\) that are Chow strictly semistable.