On local trigonal fibrations (Q2846722)

Let \(\phi: \mathcal C\to \Delta_{\epsilon}\) be a proper smooth family of curves over a small disc \( \Delta_{\epsilon}\). The family \(\phi\) is said to be a local hyperelliptic (resp. trigonal) fibration of genus \(g\) if \({\mathcal C}_t (t\in \Delta_{\epsilon}-\{0\})\) is a hyperelliptic (resp. trigonal) curve of genus \(g\). \textit{Z. Chen} and \textit{S.-L. Tan} [Contemp. Math. 400, 65--87 (2006; Zbl 1106.14015)] gave examples of local trigonal fibrations of genus \(3\) such that their central fibers are smooth hyperelliptic curves of genus \(3\). In this paper, the authors show by explicit construction that certain hyperelliptic curves of genus \(g\), called of horizontal type, appear as the central fiber of a local family of trigonal curves of genus \(g\). More precisely, they show that for a local hyperelliptic fibration \(\phi_0: \mathcal C\to \Delta_{\epsilon}\), under a suitable technical assumption, there exists a local trigonal fibration \(\phi: {\mathcal C}\to \Delta_{\epsilon}\) such that the central fibers \({\mathcal C}_0\) and \(\tilde {\mathcal C}_0\) are isomorphic.