Sur le schéma de Hilbert des courbes gauches de degré \(d\) et genre \(g=(d-3)(d-4)/2\). (On the Hilbert scheme of space curves of degree \(d\) and genus \(g=(d-3)(d-4)/2\)) (Q1589904)

Let \(X_d := H_{d,g}\) be the Hilbert scheme of locally Cohen-Macaulay, equidimensional curves in \({\mathbb P}^3_k\). The curves are not assumed to be smooth or reduced, and \(k\) is an algebraically closed field. This paper considers the case \(g = (d-3)(d-4)/2\), with the goal of describing the families of such curves, such that none of these families is a specialization of any other. As was done initially by \textit{M. Martin-Deschamps} and \textit{D. Perrin} [``Sur la classification des courbes gauches'', Astérisque 184-185 (1990; Zbl 0717.14017)] and subsequently by several authors, the work centers around a study of the Rao module \(M_C := \bigoplus_{n \in {\mathbb Z}} \text{H}^1({\mathcal I}_C (n))\) and a stratification of the Hilbert scheme using this module. The case \(g = (d-3)(d-4)\) is the first non-trivial and interesting case, since \(d\leq 3\) is understood as is \(g > (d-3)(d-4)/2\). The author describes the possible Rao modules for curves in \(X_d\), the general element of each irreducible component and the dimension of these components. A classification is given for when the curves can be smooth and connected, and finally a proof is given that \(X_d\) is connected for \(d \geq 4\). An important ingredient is the notion of \textit{extremal} curves, namely those whose Rao modules have maximum possible dimension. This has been studied by several authors, and a connection to the connectness of the Hilbert scheme was also made by \textit{S. Nollet} [Commun. Algebra 28, 5745-5747 (2000; Zbl 0991.14002)] when \(g > (d-3)(d-4)/2\).