On the normal sheaf of Gorenstein curves (Q2088650)

This paper aims to propose the study of the stability of the normal sheaves on singular curves, starting from Gorenstein ones, and trying to avoid the normalization of these curves. As is well known, a non-hyperelliptic Gorenstein curve \(C\) of arithmetical genus \(g > 2\) can be embedded in the projective space \({\mathbb P}^{g-1}\) via its dualizing sheaf, becoming a canonical Gorenstein curve. Moreover, if a singular curve has gonality \(k\), then its canonical model lies on a \((k - 1)\)-fold rational normal scroll of degree \(g-k+1\), as shown by \textit{S. L. Kleiman} and \textit{R. V. Martins} [Geom. Dedicata 139, 139--166 (2009; Zbl 1172.14019)] and by \textit{R. Vidal Martins} et al. [Geom. Dedicata 203, 111--133 (2019; Zbl 1446.14016)]. In particular, the canonical model of a Gorenstein curve \(C\) coincides with the one given by its dualizing sheaf. On the other hand, the normal sheaf of a curve encodes many geometrical information, see [\textit{M. Aprodu} et al., Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 69, 303--322 (2016; Zbl 1373.14013)] and it is interesting to investigate its stability in the case of a canonical Gorenstein curve considered in its both natural ambient spaces: rational normal scrolls and \({\mathbb P}^{g-1}\). The authors' main result is that any tetragonal Gorenstein integral curve is a complete intersection in its corresponding \(3\)-fold rational normal scroll \(S\); this statement extends a result due to \textit{F.-O. Schreyer} [Math. Ann. 275, 105--137 (1986; Zbl 0578.14002)] and implies that the normal sheaves on \(C\) embedded in \(S\) and in \({\mathbb P}^{g-1}\) are unstable for \(g \geq 5\), provided that the \(3\)-fold rational normal scroll \(S\) associated to \(C\) is smooth. Also, a sufficient condition is given for the \(3\)-fold scroll of a Gorenstein curve of genus \(6\) to be smooth. A section of the paper is devoted to compute the degree of the normal sheaf on any singular reduced projective curve in terms of invariants of the local theory of singularities, namely Tjurina and Deligne numbers: the results are applied to show a semicontinuity of the degree of the normal sheaf over suitable deformations, revisiting some classical notion of the local theory of analytic germs.