The gonality conjecture predicts that the gonality of a curve can be read off Koszul cohomology of line bundles of sufficiently large degree. We verify this conjecture for generic curves of odd genus. The even-genus case was previously solved in the joint work arXiv:math.AG/0301261.
We use Green's canonical syzygy conjecture for generic curves to prove that the Green-Lazarsfeld gonality conjecture holds for generic curves of genus g, and gonality d, if $g/3<d<[g/2]+2$.
This note is an appendix to 'Measures of irrationality for hypersurfaces of large degree' by L. Ein, R. Lazarsfeld and B. Ullery. We prove an existence result for families of curves having low gonality, and lying on fundamental loci of first order congruences of lines in $\mathbb{P}^{n+1}$. As an application, we follow the ideas of the main paper, and we present a slight refinement of a theorem included in it. In particular, we show that given a very general hypersurface $X\subset \mathbb{P}^{n+1}$ of degree $d \geq 3n-2 \geq 7$, and a dominant rational map $f \colon X \dashrightarrow \mathbb{…
For every integer $k \geq 3$ we construct a $k$-gonal curve $C$ along with a very ample divisor of degree $2g + k - 1$ (where $g$ is the genus of $C$) to which the vanishing statement from the Green-Lazarsfeld gonality conjecture does not apply.
Ein and Lazarsfeld have shown that one can read off the gonality of an algebraic curve from its syzygies in the embedding defined by any one line bundle of sufficiently large degree. This note extends their approach and shows that the gonality can be detected from the syzygies of an embedding by any line bundle of degree at least 4g-3.
We study the complexity of birational self-maps of a projective threefold $X$ by looking at the birational type of surfaces contracted. These surfaces are birational to the product of the projective line with a smooth projective curve. We prove that the genus of the curves occuring is unbounded if and only if $X$ is birational to a conic bundle or a fibration into cubic surfaces. Similarly, we prove that the gonality of the curves is unbounded if and only if $X$ is birational to a conic bundle.
We prove that for a generic element in a nonhyperelliptic component of an abelian stratum $\mathcal{H}_g(μ)$ in genus $g$, the underlying curve has maximal gonality. We extend this result to the case of quadratic strata when the partition $μ$ has positive entries. As a consequence we deduce that all nonhyperelliptic components of $\mathcal{H}_9(μ)$ are uniruled when $μ$ is a positive partition of 16 and all nonhyperelliptic components of $\mathcal{H}^2_g(μ)$ are uniruled when $μ$ is a positive partition of $4g-4$ and either $3\leq g\leq5$ or $g=6$ and $l(μ)\geq 4$.
A Brill-Noether locus is a subvariety of M_g consisting of curves having certain linear series g^r_d. We study the relative position of Brill-Noether loci with respect to the gonality stratification of M_g. We construct smooth curves in P^r of given degree and genus and having the `expected' gonality. As an application we give a new proof of our result about the Kodaira dimension of the moduli space of curves of genus 23.
We apply a degenerate version of a result due to Hirschowitz, Ramanan and Voisin to verify Green and Green-Lazarsfeld conjectures over explicit open sets inside each $d$-gonal stratum of curves $X$ with $d<[g_X/2]+2$. By the same method, we verify the Green-Lazarsfeld conjecture for any curve of odd genus and maximal gonality. The proof invokes Voisin's solution to the generic Green conjecture as a key argument.
Let $C$ be a smooth curve of genus $g$. For each positive integer $r$ the $r$-gonality $d_r(C)$ of $C$ is the minimal integer $t$ such that there is $L\in {Pic}^t(C)$ with $h^0(C,L) =r+1$. In this paper for all $g\ge 40805$ we construct several examples of smooth curves $C$ of genus $g$ with $d_3(C)/3< d_4(C)/4$, i.e. for which a slope inequality fails.
Let M be a two cusped hyperbolic 3-manifold and let M(r) be the result of r Dehn filling of a fixed cusp of M. We study canonical components of the SL(2,C) character varieties of M(r). We show that the gonality of these sets is bounded, independent of the filling parameter. We also obtain bounds, depending on r, for the genus of these sets. We compute the gonality for the double twist knots, demonstrating canonical components with arbitrarily large gonality.
Let $C$ be a curve and $L$ a very ample line bundle. The Green-Lazarsfeld Secant conjecture predicts that if the degree of $L$ is at least $2g+p+1-2h^1(C,L)-Cliff(C)$ and if, in addition, $L$ is $p+1$ very ample, then the Koszul group $K_{p,2}(C,L)$ vanishes. In this article, we establish the conjecture in the extremal case, i.e.\ the case where the degree is exactly $2g+p+1-2h^1(C,L)-Cliff(C)$, subject to explicit genericity assumptions on $C$ and $L$. In particular, the gonality of $C$ is allowed to be arbitrary (in our cases $gon(C)=Cliff(C)+2$).
Let X be a smooth genus g curve equipped with a simple morphism f: X -> C, where C is either the projective line or more generally any smooth curve whose gonality is computed by finitely many pencils. Here we apply a method developed by Aprodu to prove that if g is big enough then X satisfies both Green and Green-Lazarsfeld conjectures. We also partially address the case in which the gonality of C is computed by infinitely many pencils.
We prove two statements concerning the linear strand of the minimal free resolution of a curve of fixed gonality. Firstly, we show that a general curve C of genus g of non-maximal gonality k\leq (g+1)/2 satisfies Schreyer's Conjecture, that is, b_{g-k,1}(C,K_C)=g-k, and all its highest order linear syzygies are of Eagon-Northcott type. This is a statement going beyond Green's Conjecture and predicts that all highest order linear syzygies in the canonical embedding of C are determined by the syzygies of the (k-1)-dimensional scroll containing C. Secondly, we formulate an optimal effective versi…
We examine connections between the gonality, treewidth, and orientable genus of a graph. Especially, we find that hyperelliptic graphs in the sense of Baker and Norine are planar. We give a notion of a bielliptic graph and show that each of these must embed into a closed orientable surface of genus one. We also find, for all $g\ge 0$, trigonal graphs of treewidth 3 and orientable genus $g$, and give analogues for graphs of higher gonality.
To any graph we associate a sequence of integers called the gonality sequence of the graph, consisting of the minimum degrees of divisors of increasing rank on the graph. This is a tropical analogue of the gonality sequence of an algebraic curve. We study gonality sequences for graphs of low genus, proving that for genus up to $5$, the gonality sequence is determined by the genus and the first gonality. We then prove that any reasonable pair of first two gonalities is achieved by some graph. We also develop a modified version of Dhar's burning algorithm more suited for studying higher gonaliti…
We prove two results. First, we establish that the normal bundle of any smooth curve of genus 7 having maximal Clifford index is stable. Note that 7 is the smallest genus for which such a result could possibly hold. We then show that rank four Lazarsfeld-Mukai vector bundles on a curve that lies on a general K3 surface are stable. Both results have consequences for Mercat's conjecture on higher rank vector bundles on generic curves.
Harris and Morrison constructed semistable families f:F \to Y of k-gonal curves of genus g such that for every k the corresponding modular curves give a sweeping family in the k-gonal locus in the moduli space. Their construction depends on the choice of a smooth curve X. We show that if the genus g(X) is sufficiently high with respect to g, then the ratio K_F^2 / χ(O_F) is 8 asymptotically with respect to g(X). We show also that if the gonality is maximal and some conjectured estimates of Harris and Morrison hold, the slope of the fibration f: F\to Y is 12 asymptotically with respect to g and…
We show that any Fermat hypercubic is apolar to a trigonal curve, and vice versa. We show also that the Waring number of the polar hypercubic associated to a tetragonal curve of genus $g$ is at most $\lceil 3/2g - 7/2\rceil$, and for a large class of them is at most $4/3g - 3$.
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.
A smooth real curve is called separating in case the complement of the real locus inside the complex locus is disconnected. This is the case if there exists a morphism to the projective line whose inverse image of the real locus of the projective line is the real locus of the curve. Such morphism is called a separating morphism. The minimal degree of a separating morphism is called the separating gonality. The separating gonality cannot be less than the number s of the connected components of the real locus of the curve. A theorem of Ahlfors implies this separating gonality is at most the g+1 …
The present paper is related to a conjecture made by Green and Lazarsfeld concerning 1-linear syzygies of curves embedded by complete linear systems of sufficiently large degrees. Given a smooth, irreducible, complex, projective curve $X$, we prove that the least integer $q$ for which the property $(M_q)$ fails for a line bundle $L$ on $X$ does not depend on $L$ as soon as its degree becomes sufficiently large. Consequently, this number is an invariant of the curve, and the statement of Green-Lazarsfeld's conjecture is equivalent to saying that this invariant equals the gonality of the curve. …
We study the problem of lifting curves from finite fields to number fields in a genus and gonality preserving way. More precisely, we sketch how this can be done efficiently for curves of gonality at most four, with an in-depth treatment of curves of genus at most five over finite fields of odd characteristic, including an implementation in Magma. We then use such a lift as input to an algorithm due to the second author for computing zeta functions of curves over finite fields using $p$-adic cohomology.
The main purpose in this paper is to study the gonality, the Clifford index and the Clifford dimension on linearly equivalent smooth curves on Enriques surfaces. The method is similar to techniques of M.Green $\&$ R.Lazarsfeld and G.Pareschi.
Given an integer $γ\geq 2$ and an odd prime power $q$ we show that for every large genus $g$ there exists a non-singular curve $C$ defined over $\mathbb{F}_q$ of genus $g$ and gonality $γ$ and with exactly $γ(q+1)$ $\mathbb{F}_q$-rational points. This is the maximal number of rational points possible. This answers a recent conjecture by Faber--Grantham. Our methods are based on curves on toric surfaces and Poonen's work on squarefree values of polynomials.
Let $X$ be the Jacobian of a genus 2 curve $\widetilde{\mathcal{C}}$ over $\mathbb{C}$ and $Y$ be the associated Kummer surface. Consider an ample line bundle $L=O(m\widetilde{\mathcal{C}})$ on $X$ for an even number $m$, and its descent to $Y$, say $L'$. We show that any dominating component of $\mathcal{W}^1_{d}(|L'|)$ corresponds to $μ_{L'}$-stable Lazarsfeld-Mukai bundles on $Y$. Further, for a smooth curve $C \in |L|$ and a base-point free $g^1_d$ on $C$, say $(A,V)$, we study the $μ_L$-semistability of the rank-2 Lazarsfeld-Mukai bundle associated to $(C,(A,V))$ on $X$. Under certain ass…
Let C be a smooth complex projective curve of genus g and let X be its second symmetric product. This paper concerns the study of some attempts at extending to X the notion of gonality. In particular, we prove that the degree of irrationality of X is at least g-1 when C is a generic curve, and that the minimum gonality of curves through the generic point of X equals the gonality of C. In order to produce the main results we deal with correspondences on the k-fold symmetric product of C, with some interesting linear subspaces of \mathbb{P}^n enjoying a condition of Cayley-Bacharach type, and wi…
Let $C$ be a smooth curve with gonality $k\ge 6$ and genus $g\ge 2k^2+5k-6$. We prove that $W^1_d({C})$ has the expected dimension and that the general element of any irreducible component of $W^1_d({C})$ is primitive if either $g-k+4\le d\le g-2$ or $d=g-k+3$ and either $k$ is odd or $C$ is not a double covering of a curve of gonality $k/2$ and genus $k-3$. Even in the latter case we prove the existence of a complete and primitive $g^1_{g-k+3}$.
We prove a generalization of the Brill-Noether theorem for the variety of special divisors $W^r_d(C)$ on a general curve $C$ of prescribed gonality. Our main theorem gives a closed formula for the dimension of $W^r_d(C)$. We build on previous work of Pflueger, who used an analysis of the tropical divisor theory of special chains of cycles to give upper bounds on the dimensions of Brill--Noether varieties on such curves. We prove his conjecture, that this upper bound is achieved for a general curve. Our methods introduce logarithmic stable maps as a systematic tool in Brill-Noether theory. A pr…
We prove the Green conjecture for generic curves of odd genus. That is we prove the vanishing $K_{k,1}(X,K_X)=0$ for $X$ generic of genus $2k+1$. The curves we consider are smooth curves $X$ on a K3 surface whose Picard group has rank 2. This completes our previous work, where the Green conjecture for generic curves of genus $g$ with fixed gonality $d$ was proved in the range $d\geq g/3$, with the possible exception of the generic curves of odd genus.
We give explicit computational algorithms to construct minimal degree (always $\le 4$) ramified covers of $\Prj^1$ for algebraic curves of genus 5 and 6. This completes the work of Schicho and Sevilla (who dealt with the $g \le 4$ case) on constructing radical parametrisations of arbitrary genus $g$ curves. Zariski showed that this is impossible for the general curve of genus $\ge 7$. We also construct minimal degree birational plane models and show how the existence of degree 6 plane models for genus 6 curves is related to the gonality and geometric type of a certain auxiliary surface.
Let $X$ be a compact Kähler manifold. The set $\cha(X)$ of one-dimensional complex valued characters of the fundamental group of $X$ forms an algebraic group. Consider the subset of $\cha(X)$ consisting of those characters for which the corresponding local system has nontrivial cohomology in a given degree $d$. This set is shown to be a union of finitely many components that are translates of algebraic subgroups of $\cha(X)$. When the degree $d$ equals 1, it is shown that some of these components are pullbacks of the character varieties of curves under holomorphic maps. As a corollary, it is s…
For a projective nonsingular curve of genus $g$, the Brill-Noether locus $W^r_d(C)$ parametrizes line bundles of degree $d$ over $C$ with at least $r+1$ sections. When the curve is generic and the Brill-Noether number $ρ(g,r,d)$ equals $1$, one can then talk of the \emph{Brill-Noether curve}. In this paper, we explore the first two invariants of this curve, giving a new way of calculating the genus of this curve and computing its gonality when $C$ has genus 5.
We classify minimal complex surfaces of general type with $p_g=q=3$. More precisely, we show that such a surface is either the symmetric product of a curve of genus 3 or a free $\Z_2-$quotient of the product of a curve of genus 2 and a curve of genus 3. Our main tools are the generic vanishing theorems of Green and Lazarsfeld and Fourier--Mukai transforms. The same result has been obtained independently at the same time by G. Pirola using different methods.
Generalizing the well-known Green Conjecture on syzygies of canonical curves, Green and Lazarsfeld formulated in 1986 the Secant Conjecture predicting that a line bundle L of sufficiently high degree on a curve has a non-linear p-syzygy if and only if L fails to be (p+1)-very ample. Via lattice theory for special K3 surfaces, Voisin's solution of the classical Green Conjecture and calculations on moduli stacks of pointed curves, we prove: (1) The Green-Lazarsfeld Secant Conjecture in various degree of generality, including its strongest possible form in the divisorial case in the universal Jac…
Let S be a K3 surface and assume for simplicity that it does not contain any (-2)-curve. Using coherent systems, we express every non-simple Lazarsfeld-Mukai bundle on S as an extension of two sheaves of some special type, that we refer to as generalized Lazarsfeld-Mukai bundles. This has interesting consequences concerning the Brill-Noether theory of curves C lying on S. From now on, let g denote the genus of C and A be a complete linear series of type g^r_d on C such that d<= g-1 and the corresponding Brill-Noether number is negative. First, we focus on the cases where A computes the Cliffor…
Given a smooth, irreducible, projective surface $S$, let $g(S)$ be the minimum geometric genus of an irreducible curve that moves in a linear system of positive dimension on $S$. We determine the value of this birational invariant for a general surface of degree $d$ in $\mathbb P^3$ and give a bound for $g(S)$ if $S$ is a general polarised K3 or abelian surface. As soon as this note appeared on the math arxiv, David Stapleton kindly pointed out to the author a paper by Ein and Lazarsfeld, in which in turn a paper by Konno was cited. Unfortunately the author was not aware of these two papers wh…
We generalize, for integral curves, a celebrated result of Max Noether on global sections of the n-dualizing sheaf of a smooth nonhyperelliptic curve. This is our main result. We also obtain an embedding of a non-Gorenstein curve in a way that we can express the dimensions of the components of the ideal in terms of the main invariants of the curve. Afterwards we focus on gonality, Clifford index and Koszul cohomology of non-Gorenstein curves by allowing torsion free sheaves of rank 1 in their definitions. We find an upper bound for the gonality, which agrees with Brill-Noether's one for a rati…
A key result for syzygies of curves is Voisin's proof of Green's conjecture for the canonical embedding of a general curve of any genus. Her primary tools were the Lazarsfeld Mukai bundle on a K3 surface and a representation of Koszul cohomology on the Hilbert scheme of points on the surface. In this note we construct representations of the Koszul complex on Grassmann varieties; Voisin's setup arises as the inverse image of one of the maps. Using a different map, we give a substantially shorter proof of Voisin's result for K3 surfaces of even sectional genus.
In this paper we study the gonality of the normalizations of curves in the linear system $|H|$ of a general primitively polarized complex $K3$ surface $(S,H)$ of genus $p$. We prove two main results. First we give a necessary condition on $p, g, r, d$ for the existence of a curve in $ |H|$ with geometric genus $g$ whose normalization has a $g^ r_d$. Secondly we prove that for all numerical cases compatible with the above necessary condition, there is a family of \emph{nodal} curves in $|H|$ of genus $g$ carrying a $g^1_k$ and of dimension equal to the \emph{expected dimension} $\min\{2(k-1),g\…
We explore the concept of projections of syzygies and prove two new technical results; we firstly give a precise characterization of syzygy schemes in terms of their projections, secondly, we prove a converse to Aprodu's Projection Theorem. Applying these results, we prove that extremal syzygies of general curves of non-maximal gonality embedded by a linear system of sufficiently high degree arise from scrolls. Lastly, we prove Green's Conjecture for general covers of elliptic curves (of arbitrary degree) as well as proving a new result for curves of even genus and maximal gonality.