Degenerating curves and surfaces: first results (Q2379907)

Let \(\mathcal S \longrightarrow \mathbb A^1\) be a smooth family of surfaces whose general fibre \(\mathcal S_t\) is smooth in \(\mathbb P^3\) while the special fibre is the union of two smooth components intersecting along a smooth curve. The universal Severi variety \(\mathcal V\) of the family has, as a general fibre, the variety of curves in \(|\mathcal O_{\mathcal S_t}(n) |\) with \(\delta\) nodes and \(k\) cusps. Using limit linear systems and Ciliberto and Miranda techniques [see \textit{C. Ciliberto} (ed.) et al., Projective varieties with unexpected properties. A volume in memory of Giuseppe Veronese. Proceedings of the international conference ``Varieties with unexpected properties'', Siena, Italy, June 8--13, 2004. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (2005; Zbl 1089.14001)] one can determine the irreducible components of the general fibre \(\mathcal V_0\) of the universal Severi variety. The author computes explicitly the case \((k,\delta)=(1,0)\) and \((k,\delta)=(0,1)\) for which the above techniques are sufficient to determine both the components and their multiplicities.