Cuspidal plane curves, syzygies and a bound on the MW-rank (Q372669)

Let \(C:f=0\) be a plane curve of degree \(6k\) having only nodes and cusps as singularities and consider the associated elliptic threefold \(W:y^2=x^3+f\). The author shows that the Mordell-Weil rank of \(W\) can be expressed in terms of the invariants coming from the minimal resolution of the ideal defined by the cusps of \(C\). This gives in particular an upper bound for the exponent of the factor \((t^2+t+1)\) in the Alexander polynomial of \(C\), improving a recent result due to \textit{J. I. Cogolludo-Agustin} and \textit{A. Libgober} [``Mordell-Weil groups of elliptic threefolds and the Alexander module of plane curves'', \url{arXiv:1008.2018}].