Curves covered by the Hermitian curve

A family of maximal curves is investigated that are all quotients of the Hermitian curve. These curves provide examples of curves with the same genus, the same automorphism group and the same Weierstrass semigroup at a generic point, but that are not isomorphic.     

Pure Weierstrass gaps from a quotient of the Hermitian curve

In this paper, by employing some results on Kummer extensions, we give an arithmetic characterization of pure Weierstrass gaps at many totally ramified places on a quotient of the Hermitian curve, including the well-studied Hermitian curve as a special case. The cardinality of these pure gaps is explicitly investigated. In particular, the numbers of gaps and pure gaps at a pair of distinct places are determined precisely, which can be regarded as an extension of the previous work by Matthews (2001) considered Hermitian curves. Additionally, some concrete examples are provided to illustrate our results.     

The Weierstrass semigroup of a pair of GaloisWeierstrass points with prime degree on a curve

We describe the Weierstrass semigroup of a Galois Weierstrass point with prime degree and the Weierstrass semigroup of a pair of Galois Weierstrass points with prime degree, where a Galois Weierstrass point with degree n means a total ramification point of a cyclic covering of the projective line of degree n.*Supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant (KRF-2003-041-C20010).**Partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (15540051), JSPS.     

Two-point AG codes from the Beelen-Montanucci maximal curve

In this paper we investigate two-point algebraic-geometry codes (AG codes) coming from the Beelen-Montanucci (BM) maximal curve. We study properties of certain two-point Weierstrass semigroups of the curve and use them for determining a lower bound on the minimum distance of such codes. AG codes with better parameters with respect to comparable two-point codes from the Garcia-Güneri-Stichtenoth (GGS) curve are discovered.     

On the Ree curve

We point out a characterization of the Ree curve which involves the number of rational points, the genus, and the shape of two elements of the Weierstrass semigroup at a rational point.     

Weierstrass Semigroups and Codes from a Quotient of the Hermitian Curve

We consider the quotient of the Hermitian curve defined by the equation y^q + y = x^m over where m > 2 is a divisor of q+1. For 2≤ r ≤ q+1, we determine the Weierstrass semigroup of any r-tuple of -rational points on this curve. Using these semigroups, we construct algebraic geometry codes with minimum distance exceeding the designed distance. In addition, we prove that there are r-point codes, that is codes of the form where r ≥ 2, with better parameters than any comparable one-point code on the same curve. Some of these codes have better parameters than comparable one-point Hermitian codes over the same field. All of our results apply to the Hermitian curve itself which is obtained by taking m=q +1 in the above equation Communicated by: J.W.P. Hirschfeld     

Weierstrass Semigroups of a Pair of Points Whose First Nongaps are Three

We found all candidates for a Weierstrass semigroup at a pair of Weierstrass points whose first nongaps are three. We prove that such semigroups are actually Weierstrass semigroups by constructing examples.     

Weierstrass points on cyclic covers of the projective line

We are interested in cyclic covers of the projective line which are totally ramified at all of their branch points. We begin with curves given by an equation of the form , where is a polynomial of degree . Under a mild hypothesis, it is easy to see that all of the branch points must be Weierstrass points. Our main problem is to find the total Weierstrass weight of these points, . We obtain a lower bound for , which we show is exact if and are relatively prime. As a fraction of the total Weierstrass weight of all points on the curve, we get the following particularly nice asymptotic formula (as well as an interesting exact formula):

where is the genus of the curve. In the case that (cyclic trigonal curves), we are able to show in most cases that for sufficiently large primes , the branch points and the non-branch Weierstrass points remain distinct modulo .

     

Special Pairs in the Generating Subset of the Weierstrass Semigroup at a Pair

We discuss the structure of the Weierstrass semigroup at a pair of points on an algebraic curve. It is known that the Weierstrass semigroup at a pair (P, Q) contains the unique generating subset (P, Q). We find some characterizations of the elements of (P, Q) and prove that, for any point P on a curve, (P, Q) consists of only maximal elements for all except for finitely many points QP on the given curve. Also we obtain more results concerning special and nonspecial pairs.     

Existence of the non-primitive Weierstrass gap sequences on curves of genus 8

We show that for any possible Weierstrass gap sequence L on a non-singular curve of genus 8 with twice the smallest positive non-gap is less than the largest gap there exists a pointed non-singular curve (C, P) over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0 such that the Weierstrass gap sequence at P is L. Combining this with the result in [6] we see that every possible Weierstrass gap sequence of genus 8 is attained by some pointed non-singular curve. *Partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (17540046), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. **Partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (17540030), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.     

Weierstrass theorem for monotonically semicontinuous functions

The concept of monotone semicontinuity is introduced. It is shown that every monotonically semicontinuous function with values in a space equipped with arbitrary preference relation achieves its extremes on compacts     

The Weierstrass semigroup of a pair and moduli inM 3

We classify all the Weierstrass semigroups of a pair of points on a curve of genus 3, by using its canonical model in the plane. Moreover, we count the dimension of the moduli of curves which have a pair of points with a specified Weierstrass semigroup.This work has been supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (Project No. 976-0100-001-2). Also the first author is partially supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant (KRF-99-005-D00003).     

Group generated by the Weierstrass points of a plane quartic

We describe the group generated by the Weierstrass points in the Jacobian of the curve This curve is the only curve of genus 3, apart from the fourth Fermat curve, possessing exactly twelve Weierstrass points.

     

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 .