Brill-Noether varieties of k-gonal curves

Abstract: We consider a general curve of fixed gonality k and genus g. We propose an estimate for the dimension of the variety

W_{d}^{r} (C)

of special linear series on C, by solving an analogous problem in tropical geometry. Using work of Coppens and Martens, we prove that this estimate is exactly correct if k is at least g/5 + 2, and is an upper bound in all other cases. We also completely characterize the cases in which

W_{d}^{r} (C)

has the same dimension as for a general curve of genus g.

Review text

Let \(C\) be a general curve of gonality \(k\) and genus \(g\). For any integer \(r\geq 2\) let \(W^r_d(C)\) be the scheme of special linear series on \(C\). In this paper the author (using tropical geometry) gives a very good upper bound \(\overline{\rho}_{g,k}(d,r)\) for it. [\textit{M. Coppens} and \textit{G. Martens}, Indag. Math., New Ser. 13, No. 1, 29--45 (2002; Zbl 1059.14036)] proved strong existence theorems and dimension theorems for \(W^r_d(C)\) and a useful feature of the paper under review is the translation of their results as \(\dim W^r_d(C) \geq \underline{\rho}_{g,k}(d,r)\) for a certain function \(\underline{\rho}_{g,k}(d,r)\). He proves here the exact value \(\overline{\rho}_{g,k}(d,r)\) of \(W^r_d(C)\) if either \(k\leq 5\) or \(k\geq \frac{1}{5}g+2\) and conjecture that it is always the case if \(g-d+r>0\) and \(2\leq k\leq (g+3)/2\). \(W^r_d(C)\) is usually reducible and he asks if all irreducible components of \(W^r_d(C)\) have dimension \(\rho _g(d,r-\ell)-\ell k\) for some \(\ell\), where \(\rho _g(d,r)\) is the usual Brill-Noether number.

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