Curves of genus 3 over small finite fields (Q1433052)

Let \(\mathcal X\) be a (projective, geometrically irreducible, non-singular, algebraic) curve of genus \(3\) defined over a finite field \(K:=\mathbb F_q\) of order \(q\). If \(\#\mathcal X(K)>2q+6\), the author shows that either \(q=9\), \(\mathcal X\) is \(K\)-isomorphic to the quartic Fermat curve \(x^4+y^4+z^4=0\) which has 28 \(K\)-rational points; or \(q=8\), \(\mathcal X\) is \(K\)-isomorphic to the quartic \(x^4+y^4+z^4+x^2y^2+y^2z^2+z^2x^2+x^2yz+xy^2z+xyz^2=0\) which has 24 \(K\)-rational points. This is done via the Stöhr-Voloch approach to the Hasse-Weil bound on the number of rational points on curves [\textit{K.-O. Stöhr} and \textit{J. F. Voloch}, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. 52, 1--19 (1986; Zbl 0593.14020)]. In particular, this method allows for the study of curves with pathological behavior such as those whose tangent at a generic point contains the image of the point under the Frobenius map [cf. \textit{A. Hefez} and \textit{J. F. Voloch} [Arch. Math. 54, 263--273 (1990; Zbl 0662.14016)]. The author also constructs curves whose number of \(K\)-rational coincides \(N_q(3)\) for \(25< q<100\), where \(N_q(3)\) denotes the maximal number of \(K\)-rational points that a curve of genus 3 can have. For \(q\leq 25\), \(N_q(3)\) was already computed by \textit{J.-P. Serre} [Rational points on curves over finite fields; Lectures given at Harvard University. Notes by F. Q. Gouvêa (1985)].