Hyperelliptic odd coverings (Q2164428)

The main goal of this paper is to study a special class of odd coverings \(H:C\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1\), where \(C\) is a compact Riemann surface, called hyperelliptic odd coverings. If \(C\) is a hyperelliptic curve with hyperelliptic involution \(\sigma: C\rightarrow C\), whose fixed points are \(\{P_1,\dots,P_{2g+2}\}\), and \(\iota:\mathbb{P}^1\rightarrow\mathbb{P}^1\) is an involution with fixed points \(Z_{\infty}, Z_0,\) an odd covering \(H: C\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1\) is a hyperelliptic odd covering if \(H(\sigma(P))=\iota(H(P)),\forall P \in C\), and the fibre \(H^{-1}(Z_{\infty})\) is contained in the set of fixed points of \(\sigma\). Fixing a model of the projective line \(\mathbb{P}^1 = \mathbb{C}\cup\infty\) and assuming \(\iota\) as the involution induced by the multiplication by \(-1\), we have \(Z_{\infty}=\infty\), \(Z_0=0\) and we can represent the map \(H\) with a meromorphic function \(h\) with poles only at the points \(P_i\) and odd multiplicity. The first principal theorem of the paper is an existence result. Let \(W=P_1+\dots P_{2g+2}\) be the Weierstrass divisor of \(C\). Choosing an effective theta characteristic \(L\) on \(C\) and a section \(s\) giving the isomorphism \(L\cong \mathcal{O}(F)\) such that \(F:=s(0)=\sum n_iP_i,\, n_i\geq 0\) and \(\deg\,F=g-1\), the differential equation that governing the existence of hyperelliptic odd coverings \(C\rightarrow\mathbb{P}^1\) with theta characteristic \(\mathcal{O}(F)\) is \(dh=f^2\omega\), where \(\omega =s^2\in H^0(C,\omega_C)\). The result guarantees that if \(V=H^0(C,\mathcal{O}_C(2F+W))^-\), the previous equation has solution for suitable \(f\in V\). Furthermore, a non-zero solution \(h\in V\) defines a hyperelliptic odd covering. As a corollary of this result, if we consider \(L\subset \mathbb{C}^{2g-2}\), it can be proven that the image of the solutions of the equation \(dh=f^2\omega\) is contained in a quadric cone. Let \(\mathcal{H}_g^{HOC}\) be the Hurwitz space parametrizing hyperelliptic odd coverings \(C\rightarrow\mathbb{P}^1\) modulo automorphisms of \(\mathbb{P}^1\), where \(g\) is the genus of \(C\). This space is studied is Section 3 from the point of view of monodromy and is shown that the minimal degree of a hyperelliptic odd covering \(H:C\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1\), when \(C\) is general in \(H_g\), is \(4g\). Also is proved a partial converse of the first principal result: If \(D_{\infty}=\displaystyle\sum_{i=1}^{2g+2} (2n_i+1)P_i\), where \(P_i\) are the Weierstrass points, then every hyperelliptic odd covering \(H\) of degree \(4g\) such that \(|D_{\infty}|=W\) arises as a solution of \(dh=f^2\omega\) with \(2F=D_{\infty}-|D_{\infty}|\). The second principal result of this article deals with the calculation of the number of hyperelliptic odd coverings \(C\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1\) of degree \(4g\) when the curve \(C\) is a general element of \(H_g\). It guarantees that the number of hyperelliptic odd ramification coverings in \(\mathcal{H}_C(F)\) is \(2^{2g}\) for every choice of \(F\) on \(C\) and considering \(\Psi:\mathcal{H}_C^{HOC}\rightarrow H_g\), we have \(\deg \Psi=\left(\begin{array}{c} 3g\\ g-1 \end{array} \right)2^{2g}\). The last section is dedicated to apply the techniques developed in the paper for the case \(H:E\rightarrow\mathbb{P}^1\) of degree 4 and odd spin, with \(E\) being a complex elliptic curve.