Generalized Fermat curves (Q1018404)

A closed Riemann surface \(S\) is called \textit{a generalized Fermat curve of type \((k,n)\)} if there exists a subgroup \(H < \mathrm{Aut}(S)\) of its group of automorphisms, such that \(H \cong {\mathbb Z}^n_k\) and the quotient \({\mathcal O} = S / H\) is an orbifold with signature \((0,n+1;k,\dots,k)\), that is, the Riemann sphere with \((n+1)\) conical points, all of same order \(k\). The group \(H\) is called \textit{a generalized Fermat group of type \((k,n)\)} and the pair \((S,H)\) is called \textit{a generalized Fermat pair of type \((k,n)\)}. The first result in the paper is an explicit realization of the generalized Fermat pair \((S,H)\) of genus \(\geq 2\) as a complete intersection of \(n-1\) Fermat hypersurfaces of degree \(k\) in \({\mathbb P}^n\) with generalized Fermat group \({\mathbb Z}^n_k\) as all such pairs are holomorphically equivalent. Further, the authors study the uniqueness of the generalized Fermat group for a hyperbolic Riemann surface \(S\) and prove several relevant statements. In particular, they show that any two generalized Fermat groups of type \((p,n)\) for \(S\) are conjugate in \(\mathrm{Aut} (S)\) if \(n \geq 2\) and \(p \geq 2\) is prime. Next, they describe the locus of generalized Fermat curves in the corresponding moduli space and then offer several applications of the generalized Fermat curves. Among them is the description of all complex surfaces isogenous to a product \(X = S_1 \times S_2 / G\) with invariants \(p_g = q = 0\) and covering group \(G\) equal either to \({\mathbb Z}^2_5\) or to \({\mathbb Z}^4_2\).