On the variety \(W_{d}^{r}\)(\(C\)) whose dimension is at least \(d-3r-2\) (Q1878421)

The authors study the structure of projective curves \(C\) having many linear series of high speciality. The dimension of the space \(W^r_d(C)\), which parameterizes complete linear systems on \(C\) of dimension \(r\) and degree \(d\), is bounded by \(d-2r\) when \(d\leq g(C)+r-3\). In this range, the classification of curves with \(\dim(W^r_d(C))=d-2r\) or \(d-2r-1\) has been achieved long ago: \(C\) is hyperelliptic in the former case, while in the latter it is either trigonal, or bi-elliptic, or a plane quintic. Following this pattern, several authors determined a classification of curves having some \(W^r_d\) of large dimension, up to the range \(\dim(W^r_d(C))\geq d-3r-1\). In the paper under review, the authors push this classification one step further. Examining the many cases which may occur, they describe curves \(C\) with \(\dim(W^r_d(C))\geq d-3r-2\) for some \(d,r\) such that \(g(C)\geq 21\) and \(d\leq g(C)-5\), under the assumption that \(C\) has not even gonality and an automorphism of degree \(2\). It turns out that such curves \(C\) either have gonality smaller than \(7\), or they are \(k\)-sheeted coverings of elliptic curves, with \(k\leq 4\), or they have plane models of degree \(8\).