Smooth curves specialize to extremal curves

DOI10.1007/S00208-014-1065-ZMaRDI QIDQ2255285zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Robin Hartshorne, Paolo Lella, Enrico Schlesinger

Publication date 9 February 2015

Published in Mathematische Annalen (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1207.4588

zbMATH Keywords

extremal curvesHilbert schemeslocally Cohen-Macaulay curves

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Families, moduli of curves (algebraic) (14H10) Plane and space curves (14H50)

Abstract: Let $H_{d,g}$ denote the Hilbert scheme of locally Cohen-Macaulay curves of degree $d$ and genus $g$ in projective three space. We show that, given a smooth irreducible curve $C$ of degree $d$ and genus $g$, there is a rational curve $[C_t]:tinmathbb{A}^1$ in $H_{d,g}$ such that $C_t$ for $teq0$ is projectively equivalent to $C$, while the special fibre $C_0$ is an extremal curve. It follows that smooth curves lie in a unique connected component of $H_{d,g}$. We also determine necessary and sufficient conditions for a locally Cohen-Macaulay curve to admit such a specialization to an extremal curve.

Review text

\textit{R. Hartshorne} [Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. 29, 5--48 (1966; Zbl 0171.41502)] proved that the full Hilbert scheme associated to a polynomial is connected when non-empty, but the connectedness problem for Hilbert schemes \(H_{d,g}\) of locally Cohen-Macaulay space curves of degree \(d\) and arithmetic genus \(g\) has stood open for more than 15 years. The reviewer showed that \(H_{d,g}\) is connected for \(d=3\) [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 30, 367--384 (1997; Zbl 0892.14004)] and later with \textit{E. Schlesinger} [Compos. Math. 139, No. 2, 169--196 (2003; Zbl 1053.14035)] obtained the same result for \(d=4\). A typical strategy consists in deformation to the extremal curves studied by \textit{M. Martin-Deschamps} and \textit{D. Perrin}: such curves \(C\) maximize the Rao function \(\rho (n) = h^1({\mathcal I}_C (n))\) for all \(n\) [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 317, No. 12, 1159--1162 (1993; Zbl 0796.14029)] and form an irreducible component \(E \subset H_{d,g}\) [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 29, No. 6, 757--785 (1996; Zbl 0892.14005)]. \textit{R. Hartshorne} [Commun. Algebra 28, No. 12, 6059--6077 (2000; Zbl 0994.14002)] has shown that many classes of curves deform to extremal curves. Here the authors prove that an irreducible component \(V \subset H_{d,g}\) contains an extremal curve if and only if for the general curve \(C \in V\) there is a point \(p \not \in C\) such that (a) every line \(L\) containing \(p\) satisfies \(\deg (C \cap L) \leq 2\) with equality for at most finitely many \(L\) and (b) if \(p \in L\) is a line with \(\deg (C \cap L) = 2\), then there is a plane \(L \subset H\) such that the divisor \(2L \subset H\) satisfies \(\deg (2L \cap C) \leq 3\). The method of proof, which appeared in earlier work of \textit{P. Lella} and \textit{E. Schlesinger} [Collect. Math. 64, No. 3, 363--372 (2013; Zbl 1282.14009)], is to show that \(C\) lies on a surface with equation of the form \(xG - y^{d-1}F\) with \(G, F\) forms in \(k[z,w]\) and that the limit of the curve under a weighted automorphism of \(\mathbb P^3\) is an extremal curve supported on the line \(x=y=0\).

Recommendations

• Deformations of space curves: connectedness of Hilbert schemes
• The Hilbert schemes of locally Cohen-Macaulay curves in \(\mathbb{P}^3\) may after all be connected
• Footnote to a paper by hartshorne
• On the Hilbert scheme of curves of degree \(d\) and genus \(\binom{d-3}{2}-1\)
• Sur le schéma de Hilbert des courbes gauches de degré d et genre g=(d-3)(d-4)/2. (On the Hilbert scheme of space curves of degree d and genus g=(d-3)(d-4)/2)

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Cited in

(12)

• Subextremal curves
• Sur le schéma de Hilbert des courbes gauches de degré d et genre g=(d-3)(d-4)/2. (On the Hilbert scheme of space curves of degree d and genus g=(d-3)(d-4)/2)
• Curves on Segre threefolds
• A remark on connectedness in hilbert schemes
• On the Hilbert scheme of curves of degree \(d\) and genus \(\binom{d-3}{2}-1\)
• Deformations of space curves: connectedness of Hilbert schemes
• The Hilbert schemes of locally Cohen-Macaulay curves in \(\mathbb{P}^3\) may after all be connected
• Hilbert Schemes of Degree Four Curves
• Curves in projective spaces: questions and remarks
• On self-linkage of extremal curves
• Smoothing projectively Cohen-Macaulay space curves
• Characterizations of spaces curves containing a planar subcurve

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Uses Software

• Gfan
• Macaulay2

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