On universal Severi varieties of low genus \(K3\) surfaces (Q444194)

Let \(X\) be a \(K3\) surface, embedded in \(\mathbb P^g\) by a primitive line bundle of curves of genus \(g\). The Severi variety \(V_d(X)\) parametrizes nodal hyperplane sections of \(X\), with \(d\) nodes. Properties of \(V_d(X)\) can be usefully applied to understand some moduli and enumerative problems. On the other hand, even basic facts, as the irreducibility of such Severi varieties, seem quite difficult to prove. The authors consider instead the \textit{universal} Severi varieties \(\mathcal V_{g,d}\), which are the corresponding objects, when \(X\) varies in the family of \(K3\) surfaces of genus \(g\). For the study of universal Severi varieties, the authors introduce a degeneration technique, related with a deformation of Hilbert flag varieties. With this method, the authors prove the irreducibility of \(\mathcal V_{g,d}\) in the range \(3\leq g \leq 11\), \(g\neq 10\), where hyperplane sections with \(d\) nodes of \(K3\) surfaces fill the component of nodal canonical curves of genus \(g\).