Non degenerate projective curves with very degenerate hyperplane section (Q2571405)

Let \(\text{Hilb}_{d,g}({\mathbb P}^n)\) be the Hilbert scheme parametrizing the curves in \({\mathbb P}^n\) of degree \(d\) and genus \(g.\) The authors study the Hilbert scheme of the curves which are a scheme-theoretical union of a plane curve of degree \(d-2\) and a non reduced degree \(2\) curve, supported on a line contained in the same plane. The interest for these curves arises by the fact that \textit{U. Nagel} [Math. Z. 244, No.~4, 753--773 (2003; Zbl 1038.14013)] proved that if \(H\) is a general hyperplane with respect to a locally Cohen-Macaulay curve \(C\subset{\mathbb P}^n,\) \(n\geq 3,\) (\(\text{char}=0)\)), then \(C\cap H\) is not contained in a line, but it can span a linear space of whatever dimension \(\geq 2.\) The curves studied in this paper have the ``worst'' general hyperplane section. The principal result is that these curves are almost always the general element of a generically smooth component \(H_{n,d,g}\subseteq \text{Hilb}_{d,g}({\mathbb P}^n)\) (theorem 6). Moreover the curves with the maximal cohomology almost always correspond to smooth points of \(H_{n,d,g}.\)