Curves of genus two over fields of even characteristic (Q1775191)

The authors provide a thorough and explicit analysis of the curves of genus~\(2\) over a perfect field \(k\) of characteristic~\(2\). If \(C\) is a genus-\(2\) curve over \(k\), then the differential divisor of the canonical map \(C\to P^1\) can be viewed as a multiset of cardinality \(6\) with an action of the absolute Galois group of \(k\). For each such Galois multiset~\(S\), the authors parametrize all genus-\(2\) curves over \(k\) whose differential divisor is isomorphic to~\(S\). Using their explicit models, the authors show that every genus-\(2\) curve over \(\overline{k}\) can be defined over its field of moduli. (The analogous statement for fields of characteristic not \(2\) is false; for every characteristic \(p\neq 2\), there exists a genus-\(2\) curve over a field of characteristic \(p\) that cannot be defined over its field of moduli.) Now let \(k\) be a finite field of characteristic~\(2\). The authors use their results to provide a formula for the number of genus-\(2\) curves over \(k\) whose differential divisors are a given Galois multiset. Reviewer's note: The authors construct invariants \(j_1\), \(j_2\), \(j_3\) of curves of genus \(2\) in characteristic \(2\) that they refer to as ``Igusa invariants'', but they do not spell out the relationship between their invariants and those constructed by \textit{J.~Igusa} [Ann. Math. (2) 72, 612--649 (1960; Zbl 0122.39002)]. Igusa associated to every genus-\(2\) curve a vector \([J_2:J_4:J_6:J_8:J_{10}]\) in weighted projective space (with the weight of each entry being given by its subscript), and he showed that this mapping identified the coarse moduli space of genus-\(2\) curves with the affine subvariety of weighted projective space defined by \(J_{10}\neq 0\) and \(4J_8 + J_4^2 = J_2J_6\). The authors' invariants are given by \[ j_1^2 = J_{10}/J_2^5, \quad j_2^2 = (J_2^4J_8 + J_2^2 J_4^3 + J_4^4)/J_2^8, \quad j_3^2 = J_4/J_2^2 \] for ordinary curves, by \[ j_1 = 0, \quad j_2^2 = J_{10}^3/J_6^5, \quad j_3^8 = J_8 J_{10}^4/J_6^8 \] for non-ordinary non-supersingular curves, and by \[ j_1 = 0,\quad j_2 = 0, \quad j_3^8 = J_8^5 / J_{10}^4 \] for supersingular curves.