Clifford index for reduced curves (Q2009083)

The Clifford index of a smooth connected curve \(C\), denoted \(\text{Cliff} (C)\), was introduced by \textit{H. H. Martens} more than fifty years ago [J. Reine Angew. Math. 233, 89--100 (1968; Zbl 0221.14004)]. \textit{G. Martens} geometrically classified curves satisfying \(\text{Cliff} (C) \leq 2\) [J. Reine Angew. Math. 336, 83--90 (1982; Zbl 0484.14010)] and \textit{M. Coppens} and \textit{G. Martens} showed its strong relation to the gonality of \(C\) [Compos. Math. 78, 193--212 (1991; Zbl 0741.14035)]. More recently the Clifford index has gained popularity through Green's conjecture relating it to the Koszul cohomology of \(C\) [\textit{M. Green}, J. Differ. Geom. 19, 125--171 (1984; Zbl 0559.14008)]. The author extends the Clifford index to reducible curves. Let \(C = \bigcup_{i=1}^n C_i\) be a union of \(n\) integral curves with at worst planar singularities. The Clifford index of a numerically effective rank 1 torsion free sheaf \(\mathcal F\) on \(C\) such that \(\deg(\mathcal F|_{C_i}) \leq \deg (\omega_{C|C_i})\) for \(1 \leq i \leq n\) is \[ \text{Cliff} (\mathcal F) = \deg \mathcal F - 2 h^0 (\mathcal F) + 2. \] If \(\mathcal F\) is invertible, then \(\text{Cliff} (\mathcal F) \geq 0\) as for smooth connected curves, but in general it can be negative. The Clifford index of \(C\) is the minimum value of \(\text{Cliff} (\mathcal F)\) taken over all rank 1 torsion free sheaves \(\mathcal F\) such that \(\deg(\mathcal F|_{C_i}) \leq \deg (\omega_{C|C_i})\) for \(1 \leq i \leq n\) and \(h^0 (\mathcal F) \geq 2, h^1(\mathcal F) \geq 2\). The author proves that \(\text{Cliff} (C)\) exists and is bounded below by \(-n+1\), showing that this bound is sharp with a chain of smooth curves of positive genus. On the other hand, \(\text{Cliff} (C) \geq 0\) if \(C\) is \(4\)-connected: recall that a reducible curve \(C\) is \(m\)-connected if \(A \cdot B \geq m\) for any effective decomposition \(C = A \cup B\) [\textit{F. Catanese} et al., Nagoya Math. J. 154, 185--220 (1999; Zbl 0933.14003)]. If \(C\) is \(m\)-connected but not \((m+1)\)-connected, the author proves that \[ \text{Cliff} (C) \leq \min\{ m-2, \lfloor \frac{p_a (C) - 1}{2} \rfloor \}. \] Finally, it is shown that Green's conjecture holds for a stable curve \(C = C_1 \cup C_2\), with \(C_1\) meeting \(C_2\) transversely at \(m\) points satisfying \(4 \leq m \leq \frac{p_a (C_1)+1}{2}\) and \(0 < p_a (C_2)\).