We analyze the Brill-Noether theory of trivalent graphs and multigraphs having largest possible automorphism group in a fixed genus. For trivalent multigraphs with loops of genus at least 3, we show that there exists a graph with maximal automorphism group which is Brill-Noether special. We prove similar results for multigraphs without loops of genus at least 6, as well as simple graphs of genus at least 7. This analysis yields counterexamples, in any sufficiently large genus, to a conjecture of Caporaso.
We use Young tableaux to compute the dimension of $V^r$, the Prym-Brill-Noether locus of a folded chain of loops of any gonality. This tropical result yields a new upper bound on the dimensions of algebraic Prym-Brill-Noether loci. Moreover, we prove that $V^r$ is pure-dimensional and connected in codimension $1$ when $\dim V^r \geq 1$. We then compute the first Betti number of this locus for even gonality when the dimension is exactly $1$, and compute the cardinality when the locus is finite and the edge lengths are generic.
We show that the non-Archimedean skeleton of the Prym variety associated to an unramified double cover of an algebraic curve is naturally isomorphic (as a principally polarized tropical abelian variety) to the tropical Prym variety of the associated tropical double cover. This confirms a conjecture by Jensen and the first author. We prove a new upper bound on the dimension of the Prym-Brill-Noether locus for generic unramified double covers of curves with fixed even gonality on the base. Our methods also give a new proof of the classical Prym-Brill-Noether Theorem for generic unramified double…
Motivic Chern and Hirzebruch classes are polynomials with K-theory and homology classes as coefficients, which specialize to Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson classes, K-theory classes, and Cappell-Shaneson L-classes. We provide formulas to compute the motivic Chern and Hirzebruch classes of Grassmannian and vexillary degeneracy loci. We apply our results to obtain the Hirzebruch $χ_y$-genus of classical and one-pointed Brill-Noether varieties, and therefore their topological Euler characteristic, holomorphic Euler characteristic, and signature.
In this paper, we compute the cohomology class of certain "special maximal-rank loci" originally defined by Aprodu and Farkas. By showing that such classes are nonzero, we are able to verify the non-emptiness portion of the Strong Maximal Rank Conjecture in a wide range of cases. As an application, we obtain new evidence for the existence portion of a well-known conjecture due to Bertram, Feinberg and independently Mukai in higher-rank Brill--Noether theory.
This paper gives a novel and compact proof that a metric graph consisting of a chain of loops of torsion order $0$ is Brill-Noether general (a theorem of Cools-Draisma-Payne-Robeva), and a finite or metric graph consisting of a chain of loops of torsion order $k$ is Hurwitz-Brill-Noether general in the sense of splitting loci (a theorem of Cook-Powell-Jensen). In fact, we prove a generalization to (metric) graphs with two marked points, that behaves well under vertex gluing. The key construction is a way to associate permutations to divisors on twice-marked graphs, simultaneously encoding the …
We compute the Euler characteristic of the structure sheaf of the Brill-Noether locus of linear series with special vanishing at up to two marked points. When the Brill-Noether number $ρ$ is zero, we recover the Castelnuovo formula for the number of special linear series on a general curve; when $ρ=1$, we recover the formulas of Eisenbud-Harris, Pirola, and Chan-Martín-Pflueger-Teixidor for the arithmetic genus of a Brill-Noether curve of special divisors. These computations are obtained as applications of a new determinantal formula for the K-theory class of certain degeneracy loci. Our degen…
Understanding when an abstract complex curve of given genus comes equipped with a map of fixed degree to a projective space of fixed dimension is a foundational question; and Brill--Noether theory addresses this question via linear series, which algebraically codify maps to projective targets. Classical Brill--Noether theory, which focuses on smooth curves, has been intensively explored; but much less is known for singular curves, particularly for those with non-nodal singularities. In a one-parameter family of smooth curves specializing to a singular curve $C_0$, one expects certain aspects o…
In an influential 2008 paper, Baker proposed a number of conjectures relating the divisor theory of algebraic curves with an analogous combinatorial theory on finite graphs. In this note, we examine Baker's Brill--Noether existence conjecture for special divisors. For $g\leq 5$ and $ρ(g,r,d)$ non-negative, every graph of genus $g$ is shown to admit a divisor of rank $r$ and degree at most $d$. Moreover, the conjecture is shown to hold in rank $1$ for a number of families of highly connected combinatorial types of graphs of arbitrarily high genus. In the relevant genera, our arguments give the …
In this paper we determine the number of general points through which a Brill--Noether curve of fixed degree and genus in any projective space can be passed.
We prove an enumerative formula for the algebraic Euler characteristic of Brill-Noether varieties, parametrizing degree d and rank r linear series on a general genus g curve, with ramification profiles specified at up to two general points. Up to sign, this Euler characteristic is the number of standard set-valued tableaux of a certain skew shape with g labels. We use a flat degeneration via the Eisenbud-Harris theory of limit linear series, relying on moduli-theoretic advances of Osserman and Murray-Osserman; the count of set-valued tableaux is an explicit enumeration of strata of this degene…
We study Brill-Noether existence on a finite graph using methods from polyhedral geometry and lattices. We start by formulating analogues of the Brill-Noether conjectures (both the existence and non-existence parts) for $\mathbb{R}$-divisors, i.e. divisors with real coefficients, on a graph. We then reformulate the Brill-Noether existence conjecture for $\mathbb{R}$-divisors on a graph in geometric terms, that we refer to as the covering radius conjecture and we show a weak version, in support of it. Using this, we show an approximate version of the Brill-Noether existence conjecture for divis…
A moduli space of sheaves satisfies weak Brill-Noether if the general sheaf in the moduli space has no cohomology. Goettsche and Hirschowitz prove that on the projective plane every moduli space of Gieseker semistable sheaves of rank at least two and Euler characteristic zero satisfies weak Brill-Noether. In this paper, we give sufficient conditions for weak Brill-Noether to hold on rational surfaces. We completely characterize Chern characters on Hirzebruch surfaces for which weak Brill-Noether holds. We also prove that on a del Pezzo surface of degree at least 4 weak Brill-Noether holds if t…
We provide an example of a trivalent, 3-connected graph G such that, for any choice of metric on G, the resulting metric graph is Brill-Noether special.
Trigonal curves provide an example of Brill-Noether special curves. Theorem 1.3 of [9] characterizes the Brill-Noether theory of general trigonal curves and the refined stratification by Brill-Noether splitting loci, which parametrize line bundles whose push forward to $\mathbb{P}^1$ has a specified splitting type. This note describes the refined stratification for all trigonal curves. Given the Maroni invariant of a trigonal curve, we determine the dimensions of all Brill-Noether splitting loci and describe their irreducible components. When the dimension is positive, these loci are connected…
Given the Prym variety of an étale double cover one can define analogues of the classical Brill-Noether loci on Jacobians of curves. Recent work by Lahoz and Naranjo shows that the Brill-Noether locus $V^2$ completely determines the covering. In this paper we describe the singular locus and the irreducible components of $V^2$.
We extend a previous result of Feyzbakhsh concerning the injectivity of a map of moduli spaces and we use this result to construct curves whose Brill-Noether loci have unexpected dimension.
In this article we study Brill-Noether loci of moduli space of stable bundles over smooth surfaces. We define Petri map as an analogy with the case of curves. We show the non-emptiness of certain Brill-Noether loci over very general quintic hypersurface in $\mathbb{P}^3$, and use the Petri map to produce components of expected dimension.
We describe a conjectural stratification of the Brill-Noether variety for general curves of fixed genus and gonality. As evidence for this conjecture, we show that this Brill-Noether variety has at least as many irreducible components as predicted by the conjecture, and that each of these components has the expected dimension. Our proof uses combinatorial and tropical techniques. Specifically, we analyze containment relations between the various strata of tropical Brill-Noether loci identified by Pflueger in his classification of special divisors on chains of loops.
In this paper we deal with Brill-Noether theory for higher-rank sheaves on a polarized nodal reducible curve $(C,\underline{w})$ following the ideas of [arXiv:alg-geom/9511003v1]. We study the Brill-Noether loci of $\underline{w}$-stable depth one sheaves on $C$ having rank $r$ on all irreducible components and having small slope. In analogy with what happens in the smooth case, we prove that these loci are closely related to BGN extensions. Moreover, we produce irreducible components of the expected dimension for these Brill-Noether loci.
Let $V$ be a vector bundle over a smooth curve $C$. In this paper, we study twisted Brill--Noether loci parametrising stable bundles $E$ of rank $n$ and degree $e$ with the property that $h^0 (C, V \otimes E) \ge k$. We prove that, under conditions similar to those of Teixidor i Bigas and of Mercat, the Brill-Noether loci are nonempty, and in many cases have a component which is generically smooth and of the expected dimension. Along the way, we prove the irreducibility of certain components of both twisted and "nontwisted" Brill--Noether loci. We describe the tangent cones to the twisted Bril…
We prove that the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves of the Brill-Noether variety $G^{r}_{d}(C)$ that parametrizing linear series of degree $d$ and dimension $r$ on a general smooth projective curve $C$ is indecomposable when $d\leq g(C)-1$.
The aim of this note is to find upper bounds on the dimension of Brill-Noether locus' inside the moduli space of rank two vector bundles on a smooth algebraic curve. We deduce some consequences of these bounds.
Let $M_{\mathbb{P}^2}(v)$ be a moduli space of semistable sheaves on $\mathbb{P}^2$, and let $B^k(v) \subseteq M_{\mathbb{P}^2}(v)$ be the \textit{Brill-Noether locus} of sheaves $E$ with $h^0(\mathbb{P}^2, E) \geq k$. In this paper we develop the foundational properties of Brill-Noether loci on $\mathbb{P}^2$. Set $r = r(E)$ to be the rank and $c_1, c_2$ the Chern classes. The Brill-Noether loci have natural determinantal scheme structures and expected dimensions $dim B^k(v) = dim M_{\mathbb{P}^2}(v) - k(k - χ(E))$. When $c_1 > 0$, we show that the Brill-Noether locus $B^r(v)$ is nonempty. Wh…
We compute the rational cohomology groups of the smooth Brill-Noether varieties $G^r_d(C)$, parametrizing linear series of degree $d$ and dimension exactly $r$ on a general curve $C$. As an application, we determine the whole intersection cohomology of the singular Brill-Noether loci $W^r_d(C)$, parametrizing complete linear series on $C$ of degree $d$ and dimension at least $r$.
We show that a general curve in an explicit class of what we call Du Val pointed curves satisfies the Brill-Noether Theorem for pointed curves. Furthermore, we prove that a generic pencil of Du Val pointed curves is disjoint from all Brill-Noether divisors on the universal curve. This provides explicit examples of smooth pointed curves of arbitrary genus defined over Q which are Brill-Noether general. A similar result is proved for 2-pointed curves as well using explicit curves on elliptic ruled surfaces.
We consider a general curve of fixed gonality k and genus g. We propose an estimate for the dimension of the variety $W^r_d(C)$ 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 $W^r_d(C)$ has the same dimension as for a general curve of genus g.
