\({\mathbb{Z}_N}\)-curves possessing no thomae formulae of Bershadsky-Radul type (Q656991)

A \(\mathbb{Z}_N\)-curve is a curve with defining equation \(y^N=(x-\lambda_1)^{m_1}\dots (x-\lambda_s)^{m_s}\), where \(N\) is an integer \(\geq 2\); \(m_1, \ldots, m_s\) are non-negative integers called rotation numbers and \(\lambda_1, \dots, \lambda_s\) are complex numbers called branching values. The Riemann surface of a \(\mathbb{Z}_N\)-curve can be expressed as a ramified \(N\)-sheeted cover of the complex projective line (denoted by \(\hat{\mathbb{C}}\) in the article under review). For \(N=2\) and \(m_1=\ldots=m_s=1\) one recovers hyperelliptic curves. For hyperelliptic curves Thomae established a formula that relates the theta constants associated to non-singular half-integral theta characteristics and the branching values \(\lambda_1, \ldots, \lambda_s\). In [Commun. Math. Phys. 116, No. 4, 689--700 (1988; Zbl 0657.14019)], \textit{M. Bershadsky} and \textit{A. Radul} generalized Thomae formula to \(\mathbb{Z}_N\)-curves for which \(m_1=\ldots=m_s=1\) and \(s\) is an integral multiple of \(N\) but their proof relied on physics. A mathematical proof of Bershadsky-Radul(-Thomae) formula was given by \textit{A. Nakayashiki} [Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 33, No. 6, 987--1015 (1997; Zbl 0921.14016)]. The article under review exhibits infinite families of \(\mathbb{Z}_N\)-curves (with rotation numbers not all equal to one) that do not admit generalized Thomae formulae of Bershadsky-Radul type.