Algebraic curves violating the slope inequalities (Q2348671)

The gonality sequence of a smooth irreducible projective curve \(X\) over \(\mathbb C\), of genus \(g\geq 4\), is the sequence of integer numbers \(d_r\), \(r\geq 1\), where \(d_r\) is the minimum \(d\) such that there exists on \(X\) a linear series \(g^r_d\) of degree \(d\) and dimension \(r\). Note that the number \(d_1\) is the classical gonality of \(X\). By definition \(X\) satisfies the slope inequalities if \({d_r \over r }\geq {d_{r+1}\over {r+1}}\) for all \(r\geq 1\). By Brill-Noether theory, a general curve does satisfy the slope inequalities, because if \({d_r \over r }< {d_{r+1}\over {r+1}}\) for some \(r\), then \(\rho(g, d_r,r)=g-(r+1)(g-d_r+r)<0\). So a natural problem is to give characteristic descriptions of the curves violating the slope inequalities. In the paper under review, the authors answer to the following question posed in [\textit{H. Lange} and \textit{G. Martens}, Manuscr. Math. 137, No. 3--4, 457--473 (2012; Zbl 1238.14022)]: what is the smallest integer \(g_0\) such that for every \(g\geq g_0\) there exists a curve of genus \(g\) violating the slope inequalities? In Theorem 3.5 they prove that \(g_0=14\); moreover, if \(X\) is a curve of genus \(g<14\) not satisfying the slope inequalities, then \(g\in\{6,9,10,12\}\) and \(X\) is one of the following: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize} \item[-] a smooth plane curve of degree \(5\) or \(6\); \item [-] an extremal space curve of degree \(8\) or \(9\); \item [-] an extremal curve of degree \(11\) in \(\mathbb P^4\). \end{itemize}} Here extremal curve means that \(X\) has a simple \(g^r_d\) of degree \(d\geq 3r-1\), and \(X\) has maximal genus among all curves admitting such a linear series. In this case the genus of \(X\) attains the Castelnuovo's bound. The authors compute also the first numbers of the gonality sequence of extremal space curves, until \(d_{19}\), showing in particular that, if the degree of \(X\) is at least \(10\), then \({d_3\over 3 }< {d_{4}\over {4}}\).