A quadratic point on the Jacobian of the universal genus four curve (Q736770)

Let \(\mathcal{M}_g\) denote the (coarse) moduli space of curves of genus \(g \geq 3\) over a field \(k\). Consider the generic fiber \(\mathcal{C}_g \to \operatorname{Spec} K\) of its universal curve, where \(K\) is the function field of \(\mathcal{M}_g\); Franchetta conjectured that the Picard Group \(\operatorname{Pic}(C_g)\) is generated by the class of the canonical divisor (proved by Arbarello-Cornalba, Harer, Schröer). In the paper under review the author constructs explicitly a generator \(\Xi\) for the group \(\operatorname{Jac}(C_4)(K')\) where, \(K'\) is a quadratic extension, and shows that (any multiple of) \(\Xi\) does not descend to a point in \(\operatorname{Jac}(C_4)(K)\). The methods in this paper, contrary to the proofs of the Franchetta's Conjecture, do not use information on the Picard group of the moduli spaces, and do not involve a degeneration argument. In order to construct the point \(\Xi\), the author uses the presentation of a non-hyperelliptic curve of genus \(4\) \(X\) as a complete intersection \(X = Q \cap S\) where \(Q\) is a geometrically irreducible quadric surface and \(S\) is a geometrically irreducible cubic surface. When \(Q\) is smooth, over \(\overline{K}\) it is isomorphic to \(\mathbb{P}^1 \times \mathbb{P}^1\) and therefore one can define \(\Xi = j^* \mathcal{O}(1,-1)\), where \(j: X \to Q\) is the embedding. Then the author shows that \(\Xi\) is defined over \(K' = K(\sqrt{\text{disc} Q})\).