Optimal curves of low genus over finite fields (Q897333)

Let \(C\) be a (projective, geometrically irreducible, nonsingular, algebraic) curve of genus \(g\) defined over the finite field \(k:=\mathbb F_q\) of order \(q\). Set \(\delta:= g\cdot\lfloor 2\sqrt{q}\rfloor-|\#C(k)-(q+1)|\). The Hasse-Weil-Serre bound asserts that \(\delta\geq 0\) [\textit{J.-P. Serre}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 296, 397--402 (1983; Zbl 0538.14015)]. The main goal of this paper is to show that \(\delta \geq 2\) provided that the discriminant of \(k\), namely \(d(k):=(\lfloor 2\sqrt{q}\rfloor)^2-4q\), belongs to \(\{-11, -19\}\), and certain conditions on \(q\) and \(g\) hold true. In fact, the case \(\delta\neq 1\) was previously considered in [\textit{K. Lauter}, J. Algebr. Geom. 10, No. 1, 19--36 (2001; Zbl 0982.14015)] whenever \(g>2\). The case \(\delta=0\) let to work out with ordinary curves and hence to look at the existence of certain unimodular hermitian modules over the rings of integers \({\mathcal O}_K\) of the imaginary quadratic field \(K\) of discriminant equal to \(d(k)\) whose class number is \(1\).