Spin structures and branch divisors on \(p\)-gonal Riemann surfaces (Q2008577)

In the paper under review, spin structures on Riemann and Klein surfaces are studied in terms of divisors. The classical 2-spin structures on compact Riemann surfaces were introduced by Riemann as theta characteristics. S. Natanzon and A. Pratoussevitch introduced the concept of \(m\)-spin structure and studied these structures on Klein surfaces in several papers. In the present paper, the authors give the following definition of \(m\)-spin structure by means of divisors. Let \(X\) be a compact Riemann surface of genus \(g\) and let \(K\) denote the canonical divisor on \(X\). A divisor \(D\) is an \(m\)-spin structure or an \(m\)-spin divisor if \(m.D =K\), where \(m\) is a positive integer such that \(m|(2g-2)\). Throughout Sections 3, 4 and 5, the authors study, respectively, spin divisors on the Riemann sphere \(\widehat{\mathbb{C}}\) and the torus, hyperelliptic and \(p\)-gonal Riemann surfaces, and Jacobian groups of \(p\)-gonal surfaces and their subgroups. Next, they deal with Klein surfaces and consider, in Sections 6, 7 and 8, spin structures on Klein surfaces, \(m\)-spin structures on Klein surfaces with hyperelliptic complex doubles, and invariant \(m\)-spin structures on a hyperelliptic surface under an automorphism. In the last section, the authors generalize a formula obtained by \textit{D. Mumford} in [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. 4, No. 4, 181--192 (1971; Zbl 0216.05904)] that gives a unique representation of 2-spin divisors on hyperelliptic surfaces. They obtain a similar presentation for \(m\)-spin divisors when \(m\) is even.