On projections of smooth and nodal plane curves (Q2801864)

Let \(C \subset \mathbb P^2_{\mathbb C}\) be a nodal curve of degree \(d>2\) with normalization \(\nu: \widehat C \to C\) and let \(\pi_p: C \to p^\perp\) be the projection from \(p \not \in C\), where \(\mathbb P^1 \cong p^\perp \subset (\mathbb P^2)^*\) is the set of lines containing \(p\).NEWLINENEWLINELet \(f:D \to p^\perp\) be another finite morphism of smooth projective curves with the same simple ramification locus as \(\pi_p \circ \nu\), which is precisely \(p^\perp \cap C^*\), where \(C^*\) is the dual curve. The main theorem states that if \(C\) is general enough (and \(C\) has a node or \(\deg f \neq 4\) when \(d=3\)), then \(f\) is equivalent to \(\pi_p \circ \nu \iff\) there is a finite morphism \(g: X \to (\mathbb P^2)^*\) of smooth projective surfaces with ramification locus \(C^*\) and an isomorphism \(\varphi: D \to f^{-1}(p^\perp)\) such that \(f=g|_{f^{-1}(p^\perp)} \circ \varphi\). If \(C\) is smooth and \(d>4\), then every degree \(d\) morphism \(C \to \mathbb P^1\) is isomorphic to a projection \(\pi_p\) by work of \textit{D. Eisenbud} et al. [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 33, No. 3, 295--324 (1996; Zbl 0871.14024)], so the theorem is most interesting for \(C\) singular.NEWLINENEWLINEThe authors note that the implication \(\Rightarrow\) in the proof is easy and the implication \(\Leftarrow\) for \(d \geq 7\) follows from work of \textit{Vik. S. Kulikov} [Izv. Math. 63, No. 6, 1139--1170 (1999; Zbl 0962.14005); translation from Izv. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Mat. 63, No. 6, 83--116 (1999)], so the main content is an argument for \(\Leftarrow\) in the range \(3 \leq d \leq 6\), which is harder and requires new ideas. Their method yields a proof of the \textit{O. Chisini} conjecture [Ist. Lombardo Sci. Lett., Rend., Cl. Sci. Mat. Natur., III. Ser. 8(77), 339--356 (1944; Zbl 0061.35305)] for coverings of \((\mathbb P^2)^*\) ramified along \(C^*\) for general nodal curves \(C\) of degrees \(4,5\) and \(6\). The paper is excellently written, with interesting examples and illustrations as to how the result breaks down when \(d=3\) and \(\deg f = 4\) and why \(X\) must be taken smooth for \(d \leq 4\).