Curves of small degree on cubic threefolds (Q2566522)

For integers \(d\), \(g\), denote by \(\mathcal H^{d,g}(X)\) the Hilbert scheme parametrizing smooth curves of degree \(d\) and genus \(g\) on a smooth cubic threefold \(X\subset {\mathbb P^4}\). A classical result states that \(\mathcal H^{1,0}(X)\) is irreducible of dimension \(2\). In the paper under review the authors prove that, when \(1\leq d \leq 5\), then \(\mathcal H^{d,g}(X)\) is irreducible of dimension \(2d\). The authors show that for a general point \([C]\in \mathcal H^{d,g}(X)\) there is a surface \(\Sigma \subset {\mathbb P^4}\) which contains \(C\) and such that every irreducible component of the residual to \(C\) in \(\Sigma \cap X\) has degree \(< d\). This enables the authors to prove their result by induction, the base of it being the classical result previously quoted. The authors also announce a forthcoming paper in which, using similar methods, they will describe the Abel-Jacobi maps \(u_{d,g}: \mathcal H^{d,g}(X)\to J(X)\) for \(1\leq d \leq 5\).