No label defined (Q4382422)

The characteristic numbers \(N_{\alpha,\beta}\) of an irreducible family \(F\) of plane algebraic curves are the numbers of curves in the family that go through \(\alpha\) points and are tangent to \(\beta\) lines, for a generic choice of points and lines and \(\alpha+\beta =\dim F\). The author computes the characteristic numbers of many families of plane cubic curves over an algebraically closed field \(k\) of characteristic two. This fills a gap in the literature as former computations do not cover the case of \(\text{char} k=2\). The families considered include the whole of cubic curves, as well as of nodal cubics and cuspidal cubics. The multiplicities according to which the curves count in each characteristic number (not all equal to one in this case) are also computed. In order to perform his computations, the author blows up twice the projective space parameterizing plane cubics, getting a variety \(B\) of complete cubics in which no cubic satisfies all tangency conditions to lines, and computes the Chow ring of \(B\).