The Severi problem for abelian surfaces in the primitive case (Q2065091)

Let \((A,\mathcal{L})\) be a general \((1,d)\)-polarized complex abelian surface and denote by \(\beta \in \operatorname{NS}(A)\) the class of \(\mathcal{L}\) in the Neron-Severi group. Let \(V_g(A,\beta)\), for \(3 \leq g \leq d + 1\), be the Severi variety that parametrizes those unramified maps \(f \colon C \rightarrow A\text{,}\) from a smooth connected genus \(g\) curve \(C\), which have the property that \(f_*[C] = \beta\text{.}\) In the article under review, the author's main result identifies the irreducible components of \(V_g(A,\beta)\). This answers Question 4.2 from \textit{A. L. Knutsen} et al. [J. Reine Angew. Math. 749, 161--200 (2019; Zbl 1439.14021)]. In proving this result, the author builds on the techniques of \textit{J. Bryan} and \textit{N. C. Leung} [Duke Math. J. 99, No. 2, 311--328 (1999; Zbl 0976.14033)], \textit{X. Chen} [Math. Ann. 324, No. 1, 71--104 (2002; Zbl 1039.14019)] and \textit{A. Zahariuc} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 119, No. 6, 1431--1463 (2019; Zbl 1504.14063)]. A key point is to specialize the given abelian surface to a product of elliptic curves. In particular, the author develops a criterion that characterizes those primitive class staple maps to a product of elliptic curves that deform to nearby surfaces. This is the author's main technical result (Theorem 4.3).