The tangent surface of a rational algebraic space curve (Q755806)

Let \(\phi\) : \({\mathbb{P}}^ 1\to {\mathbb{P}}^ 3\) be a birational map, \(C=Im(\phi)\). The union of all tangent lines to C forms a surface whose normalization \(\tilde T_ C\) is ruled over \({\mathbb{P}}^ 1\); clearly \(\tilde T_ C={\mathbb{P}}^ 1\times {\mathbb{P}}^ 1\) when C is smooth, but this is no longer true when C has some ramification point (cusps). The author studies the relations between cusps on C and the self-intersection invariant e of \(\tilde T_ C\) (i.e. \(\tilde T_ C={\mathbb{P}}({\mathcal O}_{{\mathbb{P}}^ 1}\oplus {\mathcal O}_{{\mathbb{P}}^ 1}(-e))\). He shows that e is bounded by \(\min (\sum_{P\in {\mathbb{P}}^ 1}\alpha_ P,\deg (\phi)- 3);\) however e is not determined only by ramification and osculation indexes: it is also related to the existence of planes cutting C in few points. Finally, for all e, \(0\leq e\leq n-3\), examples are provided of rational curves C whose tangent surface has invariant e.