Space curves, \(X\)-ranks and cuspidal projections (Q2243596)

Let \(X \subset \mathbb P^r\) be an integral, non-degenerate variety. The \(X\)-rank of a point \(q \in \mathbb P^r\) is the smallest cardinality \(r_X (q)\) of a set \(S \subset X\) for which \(q \in \langle S \rangle\), where \(\langle S \rangle\) is the linear span of \(S\). \textit{J. M. Landsberg} and \textit{Z. Teitler} showed that \(r_X (q) \leq r - \dim X + 1\) for any \(q \in \mathbb P^r\) [Found. Comput. Math. 10, No. 3, 339--366 (2010; Zbl 1196.15024)]. In particular, if \(X \subset \mathbb P^3\) is a curve, then \(r_X (q) \leq 3\). The author considers two related sets: the set \(W_n^0 (X)\) of all points whose \(X\)-rank is \(n\), namely \(W_n^0 (X) = \{q \in \mathbb P^r: r_X (q) = n\}\), and the set \(\mathcal S (X,q)\) of all sets \(S \subset X\) with \(\#(S) = r_X (q)\) and \(q \in \langle S \rangle\). He constructs examples of space curves in which he can estimate or calculate the sizes of these sets. For example, if \(Y\) is a hyperelliptic curve of genus \(g \geq 5\), then there is an embedding \(Y \hookrightarrow \mathbb P^3\) whose image \(X\) is linearly normal of degree \(g+3\) with \(\# W_3^0 (X) = 2g+2\); there is another embedding \(Y \hookrightarrow \mathbb P^3\) whose image \(X\) is linearly normal of degree \(g+3\), lies on a smooth quadric surface \(Q\), satisfies \(W_3^0 (X) = \emptyset\) and has exactly \(2g+2\) points \(q \not \in Q\) with \(\# \mathcal S (X,q) = 1\). For the general member \(X\) of the linear system \(| \mathcal O_Q (a,b)|\) on a smooth quadric \(Q\), \(0 < b \leq a\) and \(3 \leq a\), he shows that \(W_3^0 (X) = \emptyset\) and calculates the sizes of the sets \(\mathcal S (X,q)\) for \(q \in Q\) (answer depends on which rulings of \(Q\) contain \(q\)) and gives a lower bound for \(q \not \in Q\). The behavior in the cases \((a,b) \in \{(2,1),(2,2)\}\) is different (see [\textit{R. Piene}, Math. Ann. 256, 95--119 (1981; Zbl 0468.14010)]).