Coverings of curves with asymptotically many rational points (Q1864859)

Let \(N_q(g)\) denote the maximum number of \({\mathbb F}_q\)-rational points on a smooth, absolutely irreducible curve of genus \(g\) defined over \({\mathbb F}_q\). Of basic importance in the asymptotic theory of such curves (or function fields) is \(A(q)=\limsup_{g\rightarrow\infty} N_q(g)/ g.\) In a classic short paper in 1983, \textit{J.-P. Serre} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 296, 397--402 (1983; Zbl 0538.14015)] indicated that one could use towers of class fields to show that \(A(q)>0\) for all \(q\). More recently, several authors have used towers of Hilbert class fields or towers of narrow ray class fields to obtain improved lower bounds for \(A(q)\). The authors use both these constructions to obtain general lower bounds for \(A(q)\) that improve results due to \textit{A.~Temkine} [J. Number Theory 87, No. 2, 189--210 (2001; Zbl 0991.11030)], and \textit{H.~Niederreiter} and \textit{C.~Xing} [Math. Nachr. 195, 171--186 (1998; Zbl 0920.11039)], [Contemp. Math. 245, 3--14 (1999; Zbl 1054.11505)]. In the final section, they obtain new lower bounds for \(A(p)\) for \(p=\) 7,11,13, and 17.