The purpose of this paper is to study hyperelliptic curves with extra involutions. The locus $Ł_g$ of such genus $g$ hyperelliptic curves is a $g$-dimensional subvariety of the moduli space of hyperelliptic curves $\H_g$. We discover a birational parametrization of $Ł_g$ via dihedral invariants and show how these invariants can be used to determine the field of moduli of points $\p \in Ł_g$.
We conjecture that for $\p\in \H_g$ with $|\Aut(\p)| > 2$ the field of moduli is a field of definition and prove this conjecture for any point $\p\in Ł_g$ such that the Klein 4-group is embedded in the reduced automorphism group of $\p$. Further, for $g=3$ we show that for every moduli point $\p \in \H_3$ such that $| \Aut (\p) | > 4$, the field of moduli is a field of definition and provide a rational model of the curve over its field of moduli.
The hyperelliptic Torelli group is the subgroup of the mapping class group consisting of elements that act trivially on the homology of the surface and that also commute with some fixed hyperelliptic involution. We prove a Birman exact sequence for hyperelliptic Torelli groups, and we show that this sequence splits. As a consequence, we show that the hyperelliptic Torelli group is generated by Dehn twists if and only if it is generated by reducible elements. We also give an application to the kernel of the Burau representation.
An exceptional point in the moduli space of compact Riemann surfaces is a unique surface class whose full automorphism group acts with a triangular signature. A surface admitting a conformal involution with quotient an elliptic curve is called elliptic-hyperelliptic; one admitting an anticonformal involution is called symmetric. In this paper, we determine, up to topological conjugacy, the full group of conformal and anticonformal automorphisms of a symmetric exceptional point in the elliptic-hyperelliptic locus. We determine the number of ovals of any symmetry of such a surface. We show that …
The configuration of theta characteristics and vanishing thetanulls on a hyperelliptic curve is completely understood. We observe in this note that analogous results hold for the s-invariant theta characteristics on any curve C with an involution s . As a consequence we get examples of non hyperelliptic curves with a high number of vanishing thetanulls.
In the classical case of irreducible smooth algebraic curves every genus $2$ curve is hyperelliptic, or in other words there is a complete linear series $g_2^1$ on them. On the other hand if $g > 2$, then a generic smooth curve of genus $2$ is nonhyperelliptic. In this article we investigate the situation of normal surface singularities, so we fix a resolution graph $\mathcal{T}$ and a generic singularity with resolution $\tX$ corresponding to it in the sense of \cite{NNII}. We consider an integer effective cycle $Z$ on the resolution $\tX$ and investigate the existence of a complete linear se…
The hyperelliptic Torelli group is the subgroup of the mapping class group consisting of elements that act trivially on the homology of the surface and that also commute with some fixed hyperelliptic involution. The authors and Putman proved that this group is generated by Dehn twists about separating curves fixed by the hyperelliptic involution. In this paper, we introduce an algorithmic approach to factoring a wide class of elements of the hyperelliptic Torelli group into such Dehn twists, and apply our methods to several basic elements.
We investigate a class of odd (ramification) coverings $C \to \mathbb{P}^1$ where $C$ is hyperelliptic, its Weierstrass points maps to one fixed point of $\mathbb{P}^1$ and the covering map makes the hyperelliptic involution of $C$ commute with an involution of $\mathbb{P}^1$. We show that the total number of hyperelliptic odd coverings of minimal degree $4g$ is ${3g \choose g-1} 2^{2g}$ when $C$ is general. Our study is approached from three main perspectives: if a fixed effective theta characteristic is fixed they are described as a solution of a certain class of differential equations; then…
Let X be an irreducible smooth projective curve, of genus at least two, defined over an algebraically closed field of characteristic different from two. If X admits a nontrivial automorphism σthat fixes pointwise all the order two points of Pic}^0(X), then we prove that X is hyperelliptic with σbeing the unique hyperelliptic involution. As a corollary, if a nontrivial automorphisms σ' of X fixes pointwise all the theta characteristics on X, then X is hyperelliptic with σ' being its hyperelliptic involution.
Given a smooth curve X of genus g we compute de dimension of the family of curves C which have an involution over X. Moreover we distinguish when the curve C is hyperelliptic.
We prove that the hyperelliptic Torelli group is generated by Dehn twists about separating curves that are preserved by the hyperelliptic involution. This verifies a conjecture of Hain. The hyperelliptic Torelli group can be identified with the kernel of the Burau representation evaluated at t=-1 and also the fundamental group of the branch locus of the period mapping, and so we obtain analogous generating sets for those. One application is that each component in Torelli space of the locus of hyperelliptic curves becomes simply connected when curves of compact type are added.
We introduce a new approach of computing the automorphism group and the field of moduli of points $\p=[C]$ in the moduli space of hyperelliptic curves $\H_g$. Further, we show that for every moduli point $\p \in \H_g(L)$ such that the reduced automorphism group of $\p$ has at least two involutions, there exists a representative $C$ of the isomorphism class $\p$ which is defined over $L$.
Let F be an algebraically closed field with char(F) not equal to 2, let F/K be a Galois extension, and let X be a hyperelliptic curve defined over F. Let ιbe the hyperelliptic involution of X. We show that X can be defined over its field of moduli relative to the extension F/K if Aut(X)/<ι> is not cyclic. We construct explicit examples of hyperelliptic curves not definable over their field of moduli when Aut(X)/<ι> is cyclic.
For any hyperelliptic curve X, we give an explicit basis of the first de-Rham cohomology of X in terms of Čech cohomology. We use this to produce a family of curves in characteristic p>2 for which the Hodge-de-Rham short exact sequence does not split equivariantly; this generalises a result of Hortsch. Further, we use our basis to show that the hyperelliptic involution acts on the first de-Rham cohomology by multiplication by -1, i.e., acts as the identity when p=2.
Let k=F_q be a finite field of characteristic 2. A genus 3 curve C/k has many involutions if the group of k-automorphisms admits a C_2\times C_2 subgroup H (not containing the hyperelliptic involution if C is hyperelliptic). Then C is an Artin-Schreier cover of the three elliptic curves obtained as the quotient of C by the nontrivial involutions of H, and the Jacobian of C is k-isogenous to the product of these three elliptic curves. In this paper we exhibit explicit models for genus 3 curves with many involutions, and we compute explicit equations for the elliptic quotients. We then character…
Let $S$ be a smooth minimal surface of general type with a (rational) pencil of hyperelliptic curves of minimal genus $g$. We prove that if $K_S^2<4χ(\mathcal O_S)-6,$ then $g$ is bounded. The surface $S$ is determined by the branch locus of the covering $S\rightarrow S/i,$ where $i$ is the hyperelliptic involution of $S.$ For $K_S^2<3χ(\mathcal O_S)-6,$ we show how to determine the possibilities for this branch curve. As an application, given $g>4$ and $K_S^2-3χ(\mathcal O_S)<-6,$ we compute the maximum value for $χ(\mathcal O_S).$ This list of possibilities is sharp.
We study genus 3 hyperelliptic curves which have an extra involution. The locus $Ł_3$ of these curves is a 3-dimensional subvariety in the genus 3 hyperelliptic moduli $\H_3$. We find a birational parametrization of this locus by affine 3-space. For every moduli point $\p \in \H_3$ such that $|\Aut (\p)|>2$, the field of moduli is a field of definition. We provide a rational model of the curve over its field of moduli for all moduli points $\p \in \H_3$ such that $|\Aut(\p)|>4$. This is the first time that such a rational model of these curves appears in the literature.
Given a hyperelliptic curve $C$ of genus $g$ over a number field $K$ and a Weierstrass model $\mathscr{C}$ of $C$ over the ring of integers ${\mathcal O}_K$ (i.e. the hyperelliptic involution of $C$ extends to $\mathscr{C}$ and the quotient is a smooth model of ${\mathbb P}^1_K$ over ${\mathcal O}_K$), we give necessary and sometimes sufficient conditions for $\mathscr{C}$ to be defined by a global Weierstrass equation. In particular, if $C$ has everywhere good reduction, we prove that it is defined by a global Weierstrass equation with invertible discriminant if the class number $h_K$ is prim…
We prove that for any pair of integers 0\leq r\leq g such that g\geq 3 or r>0, there exists a (hyper)elliptic curve C over F_2 of genus g and 2-rank r whose automorphism group consists of only identity and the (hyper)elliptic involution. As an application, we prove the existence of principally polarized abelian varieties (A,λ) over F_2 of dimension g and 2-rank r such that \Aut(A,λ)={\pm 1}.
We show how for every integer n one can explicitly construct n distinct plane quartics and one hyperelliptic curve over the complex numbers all of whose Jacobians are isomorphic to one another as abelian varieties without polarization. When we say that the curves can be constructed ``explicitly'', we mean that the coefficients of the defining equations of the curves are simple rational expressions in algebraic numbers in R whose minimal polynomials over Q can be given exactly and whose decimal approximations can be given to as many places as is necessary to distinguish them from their conjugat…
By constructing suitable Borcherds forms on Shimura curves and using Schofer's formula for norms of values of Borcherds forms at CM-points, we determine all the equations of hyperelliptic Shimura curves $X_0^D(N)$. As a byproduct, we also address the problem of whether a modular form on Shimura curves $X_0^D(N)/W_{D,N}$ with a divisor supported on CM-divisors can be realized as a Borcherds form, where $X_0^D(N)/W_{D,N}$ denotes the quotient of $X_0^D(N)$ by all the Atkin-Lehner involutions. The construction of Borcherds forms is done by solving certain integer programming problems.
Let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g \geq 3$. We give a new description of the theta map for moduli spaces of rank 2 semistable vector bundles with trivial determinant. In orther to do this, we describe a fibration of (a birational model of) the moduli space, whose fibers are GIT quotients $(\mathbb{P}^1)^{2g}//\operatorname{PGL(2)}$. Then, we use recent results of Kumar to identify the restriction of the theta map to these GIT quotients with some explicit osculating projection. As a corollary of this construction, we obtain a birational equivalence between the ramification locus of th…
In this note we prove the genus 3 case of a conjecture of G. Farkas and A. Verra on the limit of the Scorza correspondence for curves with a theta-null. Specifically, we show that the limit of the Scorza correspondence for a hyperelliptic genus 3 curve C is the union of the curve ${x,σ(x))$ (where $σ$ is the hyperelliptic involution), and twice the diagonal. Our proof uses the geometry of the subsystem Γ_{00} of the linear system 2Θ, and Riemann identities for theta constants.
Theta-duality and Prym-Torelli for cyclic covers of hyperelliptic curves
Anatoli Shatsila Doctoral School of Exact；Natural Sciences, Jagiellonian University in Krak\'ow, ul. prof. Stanisława Łojasiewicza 6, 30-348 Kraków, Poland
For each group $G$, $(|G| > 2)$ \, which acts as a full automorphism group on a genus 3 hyperelliptic curve, we determine the family of curves which have 2-Weierstrass points. Such families of curves are explicitly determined in terms of the absolute invariants of binary octavics. The 1-dimensional families that we discover have the property that they contain only genus 0 components.
This paper examines the relationship between the automorphism group of a hyperelliptic curve defined over an algebraically closed field of characteristic two and the 2-rank of the curve. In particular, we exploit the wild ramification to use the Deuring-Shafarevich formula in order to analyze the ramification of hyperelliptic curves that admit extra automorphisms and use this data to impose restrictions on the genera and 2-ranks of such curves. We also show how some of the techniques and results carry over to the case where our base field is of characteristic $p>2$.
We develop a theory of Gopakumar-Vafa (GV) invariants for a Calabi-Yau threefold (CY3) $X$ which is equipped with an involution $\imath$ preserving the holomorphic volume form. We define integers $n_{g,h}(β) $ which give a virtual count of the number of genus $g$ curves $C$ on $X$, in the class $β\in H_{2}(X)$, which are invariant under $\imath$, and whose quotient $C/\imath$ has genus $h$. We give two definitions of $n_{g,h}(β) $ which we conjecture to be equivalent: one in terms of a version of Pandharipande-Thomas theory and one in terms of a version of Maulik-Toda theory. We compute our in…
We classify the minimal algebraic surfaces of general type with $p_g=q=1, K^2=8$ and bicanonical map of degree 2. It will turn out that they are isogenous to a product of curves, so that if $S$ is such a surface then there exist two smooth curves $C, F$ and a finite group $G$ acting freely on $C \times F$ such that $S = (C \times F)/G$. We describe the $C, F$ and $G$ that occur. In particular the curve $C$ is a hyperelliptic-bielliptic curve of genus 3, and the bicanonical map $ϕ$ of $S$ is composed with the involution $σ$ induced on $S$ by $τ\times id: C \times F \longrightarrow C \times F$, …
In this note we discuss techniques for determining the automorphism group of a genus $g$ hyperelliptic curve $\X_g$ defined over an algebraically closed field $k$ of characteristic zero. The first technique uses the classical $GL_2 (k)$-invariants of binary forms. This is a practical method for curves of small genus, but has limitations as the genus increases, due to the fact that such invariants are not known for large genus. The second approach, which uses dihedral invariants of hyperelliptic curves, is a very convenient method and works well in all genera. First we define the normal decompo…
Let $p$ be a large prime, and let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve over $\mathbb{F}_p$. We study the distribution of the $x$-coordinates in short intervals when the $y$-coordinates lie in a prescribed interval, and the distribution of the distance between consecutive $x$-coordinates with the same property. Next, let $g(P,P_0)$ be a rational function of two points on $C$. We study the distribution of the above distances with an extra condition that $g(P_i,P_{i+1})$ lies in a prescribed interval, for any consecutive points $P_i,P_{i+1}$.
The Weddle surface is classically known to be a birational (partially desingularized) model of the Kummer surface. In this note we go through its relations with moduli spaces of abelian varieties and of rank two vector bundles on a genus 2 curve. First we construct a moduli space A\_2(3)^- parametrizing abelian surfaces with a symmetric theta structure and an odd theta characteristic. Such objects can in fact be seen as Weddle surfaces. We prove that A\_2(3)^- is rational. Then, given a genus 2 curve C, we give an interpretation of the Weddle surface as a moduli space of extensions classes (in…
We propose an object called 'sepcanonical system' on a stable curve $X_0$ which is to serve as limiting object- distinct from other such limits introduced previously- for the canonical system, as a smooth curve degenerates to $X_0$. First for curves which cannot be separated by 2 or fewer nodes, the so-called '2-inseparable' curves, the sepcanonical system is just the sections of the dualizing sheaf, which is not very ample iff $X_0$ is a limit of smooth hyperelliptic curves (such $X_0$ are called 2-inseparable hyperelliptics). For general, 2-separable curves $X_0$ this assertion is false, lea…
For an Abelian surface $A$ with a symplectic action by a finite group $G$, one can define the partition function for $G$-invariant Hilbert schemes \[Z_{A, G}(q) = \sum_{d=0}^{\infty} e(\text{Hilb}^{d}(A)^{G})q^{d}.\] We prove the reciprocal $Z_{A,G}^{-1}$ is a modular form of weight $\frac{1}{2}e(A/G)$ for the congruence subgroup $Γ_{0}(|G|)$, and give explicit expressions in terms of eta products. Refined formulas for the $χ_{y}$-genera of $\text{Hilb}(A)^{G}$ are also given. For the group generated by the standard involution $τ: A \to A$, our formulas arise from the enumerative geometry of t…
We study the moduli space of trace-free irreducible rank 2 holomorphic connections over a complex projective curve of genus 2 and the forgetful map towards the moduli space of underlying vector bundles (including unstable bundles), for which we compute a natural Lagrangian rational section. As a particularity of the genus $2$ case, connections as above are invariant under the hyperelliptic involution : they descend as rank $2$ logarithmic connections over the Riemann sphere. We establish explicit links between the well-known moduli space of the underlying parabolic bundles with the classical a…
In a previous article, we obtained data on the distribution of traces of Frobenius of non-hyperelliptic genus $3$ curves over small finite fields. In the present one, we give a heuristic explanation of these data, by extrapolating from results on the distribution of traces of Frobenius for plane curves whose degree is small with respect to the cardinality of their finite base field. In particular, our methods shed some new light on the asymmetry of the distribution around its mean value, which is related to the Serre obstruction.
Let $C_k$ be a smooth projective curve over a global field $k$, which is neither rational nor elliptic. Harris-Silverman, when $p=0$, and Schweizer, when $p>0$ together with an extra condition on the Jacobian variety $\operatorname{Jac}(C_k)$ arising from Mordell's conjecture, showed that $C$ has infinitely many quadratic points over some finite field extension $L/k$ inside $\overline{k}$ (a fixed algebraic closure of $k$) if and only if $C$ is hyperelliptic or bielliptic. Now, let $C_k$ be a smooth plane curve of a fixed degree $d\geq4$ with $p=0$ or $p>(d-1)(d-2)+1$ (up to an extra condition…
We study moduli spaces of K3 surfaces endowed with a Nikulin involution and their image in the moduli space R_g of Prym curves of genus g. We observe a striking analogy with Mukai's well-known work on ordinary K3 surfaces. Many of Mukai's results have a very precise Prym-Nikulin analogue, for instance: (1) A general Prym curve from R_g is a section of a Nikulin surface if and only if g\leq 7, g\neq 6. (2) R_7 has the structure of a Mori fibre space over the corresponding moduli space of polarized Nikulin surfaces. (3) In the case of genus next to maximal (g=6), the Prym-Nikulin locus in R_6 is…
Let $\mathbb{F}_q$ be the finite field of order $q=p^h$ with $p>2$ prime and $h>1$, and let $\mathbb{F}_{\bar{q}}$ be a subfield of $\mathbb{F}_q$. From any two $\bar{q}$-linearized polynomials $L_1,L_2 \in \overline{\mathbb{F}}_q[T]$ of degree $q$, we construct an ordinary curve $\mathcal{X}_{(L_1,L_2)}$ of genus $(q-1)^2$ which is a generalized Artin-Schreier cover of the projective line $\mathbb{P}^1$. The automorphism group of $\mathcal{X}_{(L_1,L_2)}$ over the algebraic closure $\overline{\mathbb{F}}_q$ of $\mathbb{F}_q$ contains a semidirect product $Σ\rtimes Γ$ of an elementary abelian …
