Adjoint divisors on algebraic curves. (Appendix A by F. Catanese) (Q1877881)

According to Mumford, an invertible sheaf \(\mathcal H\) on a curve \(C\) is said to be normally generated if the following multiplication maps \(\rho_k\) are surjective for all \(k\geq 1\): \[ \rho_k: H^0(C,\mathcal H)^{\otimes k}\rightarrow H^0(C,\mathcal H^{\otimes k}). \] A classical result of \textit{G. Castelnuovo} [Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo (2), 7, 89--110 (1893; JFM 25.1035.02)] says that, if \(C\) is smooth of genus \(g\), then \(\mathcal H\) is normally generated if \(\deg \mathcal H\geq 2g+1\). The property of \(\mathcal H\) of being normally generated is equivalent to the property of the graded ring \(R(C,\mathcal H)=\bigoplus_{k\geq 0}H^0(C,\mathcal H^{\otimes k})\) of being generated in degree 1. Bounds on the generators of \(R(C,\mathcal H)\) have been recently investigated, for instance if \(\mathcal H\) is very ample or is the dualizing sheaf \(\omega_C\). This last case is related to the \(1-2-3\) conjecture of Miles Reid. In the paper under review, the author studies the case of an adjoint divisor, i.e. \(\mathcal H\) is of the form \(\omega_C\otimes \mathcal A\), with \(\mathcal A\) ample. The following theorem on the normal generation is obtained: Let \(C\) be a numerically connected curve on a smooth surface and \(\mathcal A\) be an invertible ample sheaf such that \(\deg \mathcal A\mid_B\geq 2p_a(B)+1\) for all subcurves \(B\) of \(C\). If \(\mathcal H\) is numerically equivalent to \(\omega_C\otimes\mathcal A\), then \(\mathcal H\) is almost always normally generated, with few possible exceptions which are described. As a corollary, if \(\mathcal A=\omega_C\), a new proof of a result of \textit{K. Konno} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 533, 171--205 (2001; Zbl 0965.14004)] on the \(1-2-3\) conjecture is deduced. The proof uses a result of F. Catanese contained in appendix A to the article: Invertible sheaves and extension classes of zero-dimensional schemes. It relies on a detailed study of \(\text{Ext}^1_{\mathcal O_C}(\mathcal O_\Delta,\mathcal I_\zeta)\) where \(\Delta\) and \(\zeta\) are zero-dimensional subschemes of \(C\).