Generalized Linear Systems on Curves and Their Weierstrass Points

Let C be a projective Gorenstein curve over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0. A generalized linear system on C is a pair (?, ε) consisting of a torsion-free, rank-1 sheaf ? on C, and a map of vector spaces ε: V → Γ(C, ?). If the system is nondegenerate on every irreducible component of C, we associate to it a 0-cycle W, its Weierstrass cycle. Then we show that for each one-parameter family of curves C _t degenerating to C, and each family of linear systems (? _t , ε _t ) along C _t , with ? _t invertible, degenerating to (?, ε), the corresponding Weierstrass divisors degenerate to a subscheme whose associated 0-cycle is W. We show that the limit subscheme contains always an “intrinsic” subscheme, canonically associated to (?, ε), but the limit itself depends on the family ? _t .