Nodal curves on surfaces of general type (Q1359515)

In this paper the authors investigate the possibility of generalizing the classical Severi theory of nodal plane curve to linear systems on surfaces of general type. The Severi type results proved are for certain surfaces of general type, which include general surfaces of \(\mathbb{P}^3\) of degree \(d\geq 5\). The main result of the paper is the following: Theorem. Let \(S\) be a surface such that \(|K_S|\) is ample and let \(C\) be an irreducible curve on \(S\) such that \(C\equiv_{\text{num}} pK_S\), \(p\geq 2\), \(p\in\mathbb{Q}\) and \(|C|\) has smooth general member. Assume that \(C\) has \(\delta\geq 1\) nodes and no other singularities and assume that either \(\delta< \frac{p(p-2)}{4} K_S^2\) or \(\delta< \frac{(p-1)^2}{4} K_S^2\), \(p\in\mathbb{Z}\) odd, and the Néron-Severi group of \(S\) is \(\mathbb{Z}\) generated by \(K_S\). -- Then the family \({\mathcal V}_{C,\delta}\) of irreducible curves in \(|C|\) with \(\delta\) nodes is smooth of codimension \(\delta\) at the point corresponding to \(C\). The proof consists in applying the Bogomolov-Reider method to a rank 2 vector bundle on \(S\) associated to the set of nodes of \(C\). As a special case one has the following: Theorem. Let \(S\) be a smooth surface of degree \(d\geq 5\) in \(\mathbb{P}^3\) with plane section \(H\). If \(C\in|nH|\) has \(\delta\) nodes and no other singularities and \(\delta< \frac{nd(n-2d+8)}{4}\) then \({\mathcal V}_{C,\delta}\) is smooth of codimension \(\delta\) at the point \(C\). The following slight improvement of the previous result is proved in the case of quintic surfaces in \(\mathbb{P}^3\). Theorem. Let \(S\) be a smooth surface of degree 5 in \(\mathbb{P}^3\) with plane section \(H\) and Picard group \(\mathbb{Z}\). If \(C\in|pH|\) \((p\geq 3\) odd) has \(\delta\) nodes and no other singularities and \(\delta< 5(p-1)^2/2\), then \({\mathcal V}_{C,\delta}\) is smooth of codimension \(\delta\) at \(C\). A class of examples on quintic surfaces is constructed showing that the above result is sharp. The examples are complete intersection nodal curves in \(\mathbb{P}^3\) which are projections of curves of \(\mathbb{P}^4\).