A characterization of double coverings of curves (Q309271)

Let \(X\) be a (smooth and irreducible) complex algebraic projective curve of genus \(g\). For each integer \(r \geq 1\), set \(d_{r}\) as the smallest positive integer \(d\) so that there is a (non-degenerate) rational map \(\phi:X \to {\mathbb P}_{\mathbb C}^{r}\) of degree \(d\). The sequence \(\{d_{r}\}_{r \geq 1}\) is called the gonality sequence of \(X\). For instance, \(d_{1}=0\) only if \(g=0\) and \(d_{1}=2\) only if either \(g=1\) or \(g \geq 2\) and \(X\) is hyperelliptic. A first study on such a sequence was initiated in [\textit{H. Lange} and \textit{G. Martens}, Manuscr. Math. 137, No. 3--4, 457--473 (2012; Zbl 1238.14022)]. In that paper it was proved that, if \(X\) is a double cover of a curve of genus \(h>1\) and \(g \geq 6h-3\), then \(d_{r}=2(r+h)\), for \(r \in\{h,h+1,\ldots,g-3h\}\). In the paper under review, the authors prove that essentially the reciprocal holds; more precisely, they obtain the following result. Theorem. Let \(0 \leq h \in {\mathbb Z}\), \(g \geq Max(6h + 4, 15h)\), and assume that there are three (pairwise) different integers \(r_j\) \((j = 1, 2, 3)\) in the interval \([h, g - 3h]\) such that \(d_{r_{j}} =2(r_{j}+h)\) holds on \(X\). In the case \(r_{j} \leq 2h\) for some \(j\) assume that \(d_{r_{i}} +d_{r_{j}} \neq 2g-2\) for \(i \neq j\). Then \(X\) is a double covering of a curve of genus \(h\). The proof makes use of Clifford's and Riemann-Roch's theorems.