Curves and symmetric spaces. II. (Q624912)

For a field \(k\), let \(\mathrm{Sym}^3 k \to {\mathbb{P}}(k \oplus \mathrm{Sym}^3 k \oplus \mathrm{Sym}^3 k \oplus k) = {\mathbb{P}}^{13}\) be the Veronese embedding, defined by sending a matrix \(A\) to the tuple \((1:A:A':\det A)\), where \(A'\) is the cofactor matrix of \(A\). The closure of its image is a \(6\)-dimensional homogeneous variety of the group \({\mathrm{Sp}}(3)\) and is therefore denoted by \({\mathrm{SpG}}(3,6)\). The first main result of the present article was announced by the author in the first part [Am. J. Math. 117, No. 6, 1627--1644 (1995; Zbl 0871.14025)]: let \(k=\bar{k}\) and \(C\) be a curve over \(k\) of genus 9. Then \(C\) is isomorphic to a transversal linear section of \({\mathrm{SpG}}(3,6)\) if and only if \(C\) is not pentagonal. A Corollary of that, obtained by Bertini's Theorem in the case where \(k\) has characteristic zero, is that such a curve is contained as an ample divisor in a \(K3\) surface. The second main results states the following: if \(k\) is perfect, and \(C\) a genus 9 curve, non-pentagonal over \(\bar{k}\), then \(C\) has an embedding in \({\mathrm{SpG}}(3,6)\) whose image is a transversal intersection with a \(k\)-linear subspace \(P\) of \({\mathbb{P}}^{13}\), and such subspaces cutting \(C\) out are unique, up to the natural action of \(\mathrm{PGSp}(3)\). As a corollary, the author gives a calculation of the weighted cardinality of non-pentagonal genus 9 curves over \({\mathbb{F}}_q\). The proof of both theorems is based on the study of rank 3 extensions of a \(g_8^2\) on a genus 9 non hyperelliptic curve. More precisely, let \(k = \bar{k}\), \(C\) a genus 9 non-hyperelliptic curve, \(\alpha\) a \(g_2^8\) on \(C\) and \(Q_{\beta}\) the dual of the kernel of the evaluation \({\mathcal{O}}_C^{\oplus 3} \to K_C \alpha^{-1}\). Let \(E_{\max}\) be the unique nontrivial extension of \(\alpha\) by \(Q_{\beta}\). The properties of such rank 3 vector bundle are given in Theorem C and are the most important tool in the proof of the results mentioned above.