No label defined (Q4493445)

Let \({\mathcal C}\to\Delta\) be a flat family of smooth plane quartic curves which degenerates to a singular quartic \(C_0\). This family induces a map \(\Delta-\{0\}\to {\mathcal M}_3\) which can be completed to a map \(\varphi:\Delta\to\overline{\mathcal M}_3\), \(\overline{\mathcal M}_3\) being the usual stable compactification of the moduli space. The stable curve \(\varphi(0)\) is called the ``stable limit of \({\mathcal C}\)'' and it depends on the singular quartic \(C_0\) as well as on the choice of the particular smoothing \({\mathcal C}\); however, when \(C_0\) is reduced, the stable limit obtained from a generic smoothing of \(C_0\) is well determined. The author provides a description of the stable limits that one obtains starting with a singular plane quartic \(C_0\) and taking a generic smoothing. In some cases it turns out that the stable limit is smooth.