arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Edoardo Sernesi.
On a special line bundle $L$ on a projective curve $C$ we introduce a geometric condition called $(Δ_q)$. When $L=K_C$ this condition implies gon$(C) \ge q+2$. For an arbitrary special $L$ we show that $(Δ_3)$ implies that $L$ has the well-known property $(M_3)$, generalizing a similar result proved by Voisin in the case $L=K_C$.
We give upper bounds on the genus of a curve with general moduli assuming that it can be embedded in a projective nonsingular surface $Y$ so that $\dim(|C|) > 0$. We find such bounds for all types of surfaces of intermediate Kodaira dimension and, under mild restrictions, for surfaces of general type whose minimal model $Z$ satisfies the Castelnuovo inequality $K_Z^2 \ge 3χ(Ø_Z) - 10$. In this last case we obtain $g \le 19$. In the other cases considered the bounds are lower.
Let $\M_g$ be the course moduli space of complex projective nonsingular curves of genus $g$. We prove that when the Brill-Noether number $ρ(g,r,n)$ is non-negative every component of the Petri locus $P^r_{g,n}\subset \M_g$ whose general member is a curve $C$ such that $W^{r+1}_n(C) = \emptyset$, has codimension one in $\M_g$.
Plane quartics containing the ten vertices of a complete pentalateral and limits of them are called Lüroth quartics. The locus of singular Lüroth quartics has two irreducible components, both of codimension two in $¶^{14}$. We compute the degree of them and we discuss the consequences of this computation on the explicit form of the Lüroth invariant. One important tool are the Cremona hexahedral equations of the cubic surface. We also compute the class in $\overline{M}_3$ of the closure of the locus of nonsingular Lüroth quartics.
We show that a general prime Fano threefold X of genus 8 can be reconstructed from the pair $(Γ,L)$, where $Γ$ is its Fano curve of lines and $L=O_Γ(1)$ is the theta-characteristic which gives a natural embedding $Γ\subset \matbb{P}^5$.
The hypersurface of Luroth quartic curves inside the projective space of plane quartics has degree 54. We give a proof of this fact along the lines outlined in a paper by Morley, published in 1919. Another proof has been given by Le Potier and Tikhomirov in 2001, in the setting of moduli spaces of vector bundles on the projective plane. Morley's proof uses the description of plane quartics as branch curves of Geiser involutions and gives new geometrical interpretations of the 36 planes associated to the Cremona hexahedral representations of a nonsingular cubic surface.
The paper has been withdrawn because the proof of part (b) of the main theorem is incomplete.
We investigate the modular properties of nodal curves on a low genus K3 surface. We prove that a general genus g curve C is the normalization of a d-nodal curve X sitting on a primitively polarized K3 surface S of degree 2p-2, for p any integer between 3 and 11 and g = p - d between 2 and p. The proof is based on a local deformation-theoretic analysis of the map from the stack of pairs (S,X) to the moduli space of curves of genus g that associates to X the isomorphism class [C] of its normalization.
Under natural hypotheses we give an upper bound on the dimension of families of singular curves with hyperelliptic normalizations on a surface S with p_g(S) >0 via the study of the associated families of rational curves in Hilb^2(S). We use this result to prove the existence of nodal curves of geometric genus 3 with hyperelliptic normalizations, on a general K3 surface, thus obtaining specific 2-dimensional families of rational curves in its Hilbert square. We describe two infinite series of examples of general, primitively polarized K3's such that their Hilbert squares contain a IP^2 or a threefold birational to a IP^1-bundle over a K3. We discuss some consequences on the Mori cone of the Hilbert square of a general K3.
In this paper we prove a general theorem concerning the number of translation classes of curves of genus $g$ belonging to a fixed cohomology class in a polarized abelian variety of dimension $g$. For $g = 2$ we recover results of Göttsche and Bryan-Leung. For $g = 3$ we deduce explicit numbers for these classes.
To any unramified double cover $π:\tilde C \to C$ of projective irreducible and nonsingular curves one associates the Prym variety $P = P(π)$. For $C$ nonhyperelliptic of genus $g \geq 6$ we consider the natural embedding $\tilde C \subset P$ (defined up to translation) of $\tilde C$ into $P$ and we study the local structure of the Hilbert scheme $Hilb^P$ of $P$ at the point $[\tilde C]$. We show that this structure is related with the local geometry of the Prym map, or more precisely with the validity of the infinitesimal version of Torelli's theorem for Pryms at $[π]$
We show that a general canonical curve is uniquely determined by the finite set of hyperplanes cutting theta-characteristics on it. Geometrical and combinatorial properties of the moduli space of stable spin curves are proved, which play an essential role.
We show that a general plane curve of degree at least 4 is uniquely determined by the full set of its bitangent lines. This problem has an elementary solution for degree at least 5, and the paper is almost entirely devoted to curves of degree 4, where we generalize the result to nodal quartics. In other words, we show that a general curve of genus 3 can be recovered from its 28 odd theta-characteristics.
We study the family of irreducible curves with $δ$ nodes belonging to a free linear system $|C|$ with smooth general member on a surface $S$ such that $|K_S|$ is ample. Under the assumption that $C$ is numerically equivalent to $pK_S$, $p\ge 3$ rational, we give an upper bound on $δ$ ensuring that the family is smooth of codimension $δ$ in $|C|$ (plus another slightly different result of the same type). We give examples showing that the bound is sharp. Some related results concerning linear normality of nodal curves are proved.