Linear series on a stable curve of compact type and relations among Brill-Noether loci (Q2285221)

Fix integers \(g\ge 2\), \(r>0\), \(d>0\) and let \(\rho:= \rho(g,r,d)=(r+1)d-rg-r(r+1)\) be their Brill-Noether number. The main applications of the paper are in the range \(\rho <0\). For a stable curve \(C\) of compact type its Brill-Noether theory (by definition) is the limits of \(g^r_d\)'s on nearby smooth curves and hence it is studied by using Eisenbud-Harris limit linear series. Call \(\overline{\mathcal {M}}^r_{g,d}\) the set of all stable curves with a \(g^r_d\). In this paper, the author use as \(C\) a stable curve of compact type union of two disjoint smooth curves with general moduli, one of genus \(g_1\) and the other one of genus \(g_2\), linked by a chain of elliptic curves. To define \(C\) she use two other integers \(n\) and \(t\) (\(n\) being the number of elliptic curves, i.e., \(g =g_1+g_2+n\)) and in term of them gives very detailed informations assuring that this set of stable curves is contained in \(\overline{\mathcal {M}}^r_{g,d}\). This is done to produce low codimension subvarieties of \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_g\), generalizing the case of divisors (\(\rho =-1\)) done in many papers (see [\textit{Y. Choi} et al., J. Pure Appl. Algebra, 216, No. 8, 1452--1462 (2012; Zbl 1286.14047)] and refences therein).