Fragmented deformations of primitive multiple curves (Q2440526)

This paper fits in an important trend, the study of multiple curves, their deformations and the sheaves on them; it also contains a suggestion that it may be used to study the flatness of the relative moduli map for semistable-sheaves in a flat family of curves, the special one being a multiple curve, the general one being reduced, but reducible [\textit{C. Bănică} and \textit{O. Forster}, Contemp. Math. 58, 47--64 (1986; Zbl 0605.14026); \textit{D. Bayer} and \textit{D. Eisenbud}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 347, No. 3, 719--756 (1995; Zbl 0853.14016); \textit{J.-M. Drézet}, Pac. J. Math. 220, No. 2, 201--297 (2005; Zbl 1106.14005); Collect. Math. 57, No. 2, 121--171 (2006; Zbl 1106.14019); Adv. Geom., 7, No. 4, 559--612 (2007; Zbl 1135.14017); Math. Nachr., 282, No. 7, 919--952 (2009; Zbl 1171.14010); Pac. J. Math. 249, No. 2, 291--319 (2011; Zbl 1227.14010); Ann. Fac. Sci. Toulose Math., 22, No. 1, 133--154 (2013; Zbl 1274.14030)]. Let \(C\) be a smooth and connected projective curve over \(\mathbb {C}\). A primitive multiple curve of multiplicity \(n > 1\) over \(C\) is a locally Cohen-Macaulay scheme \(Y\) with \(C\) as its reduction which can be locally (but often not globally) embedded in a smooth surface and with \(n\) as the minimal integer with \((\mathcal {I}_C)^n=0\). It has a filtration \(C = C_1\subsetneq C_2\subsetneq \cdots \subsetneq C_n\) with each \(C_i\) primitive with multiplicity \(i\). The sheaf \(L := \mathcal {I}_C/\mathcal {I}_C^2\) is a line bundle on \(C\). The author introduces the following definition. A reducible deformation of length \(k\) of \(Y\) is a flat proper family \(\pi\) of primitive curves with reduced total space, with \(Y\) as special fiber and with as a general fiber \(X_s\) a disjoint union of \(k\) smooth projective curves with transversal intersection and no point is in more than 2 components. He proves that \(k\leq n\) and says that the deformation is a maximal irreducible deformation if \(k = n\). He proves e.g. that in the maximal case all components of \(X_s\) have the genus of \(C\). If \(k = n\) and \(X_s\) is the disjoint union of \(n\) smooth curves, then \(\pi\) is said to be fragmented (in this case \(\deg L = 0\)). \(Y\) is said to be simple if \(\mathcal {I}_{C,C_n} \cong \mathcal {O}_{C_{n-1}}\). He proves that \(Y\) has a fragmented deformation if and only if it is simple. For arbitrary \(Y\) he classifies the fragmented deformations of length 2.