On Weierstrass semigroups of double coverings of genus three curves

Let C be a complete non-singular curve of genus 3 over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0. We determine all possible Wierstrass semigroups of ramification points on double coverings of C whose covering curves have genus greater than 8. Moreover, we construct double coverings with ramification points whose Weierstrass semigroups are the possible ones.     

On double coverings of hyperelliptic curves

We prove various properties of varieties of special linear systems on double coverings of hyperelliptic curves. We show and determine the irreducibility, generically reducedness and singular loci of the variety for bi-elliptic curves and double coverings of genus two curves. Similar results for double coverings of hyperelliptic curves of genus h≥3 are also presented.     

Pencils on double coverings of curves

Let X be a smooth curve of genus g. When and d ≥ π−2g+1 we show the existence of a double covering where C a smooth curve of genus π with a base-point-free pencil of degree d which is not the pull-back of a pencil on X. Received: 7 February 2007; Revised: 1 July 2008     

A characterization of double coverings of curves

The gonality sequence \({(d_{r})_{r}}\) of a curve X of genus g which doubly covers a curve of genus h satisfies \({d_{r} = 2(r + h)}\) for all \({r = h, h + 1, \ldots, g - 3h}\) provided that \({g \gg h}\). In this paper we explore if this striking feature of \({(d_{r})_{r}}\) actually characterizes such a covering.     

On Weierstrass semigroups of double covering of genus two curves

In this work we prove that are Weierstrass semigroups all numerical semigroups whose three first positive non-gaps are 6, 8 and 10, resolving the problem of the numerical semigroups that appear as Weierstrass semigroups in double coverings of genus two curves.     

Ramification points of double coverings of curves and Weierstrass points

Summary Let π: X→C be a double covering with X smooth curve and C elliptic curve. Let R(π)⊂X be the ramification locus of π. Every P∈R(π) is a Weierstrass point of X and we study the triples (C, π, X) for which the set of corresponding Weierstrass points have certain semigroups of non-gaps. We study the same problem also for triple cyclic coverings of C. Entrata in Redazione il 17 luglio 1998. The authors were partially supported by MURST and GNSAGA of CNR (Italy).     

The minimal degree of plane models of algebraic curves and double coverings

Let C be a smooth irreducible projective curve of genus g and s(C, 2) (or simply s(2)) the minimal degree of plane models of C. We show the non-existence of curves with s(2) = g for g ≥ 10, g ≠ 11. Another main result is determining the value of s(2) for double coverings of hyperelliptic curves. We also give a criterion for a curve with big s(2) to be a double covering.     

Numerical semigroups with embedding dimension three

Every numerical semigroup generated by three elements is determined by six positive integers that are the solution to a system of three polynomial equations. We give formulas of the Frobenius number and the cardinality of the set of gaps in terms of these six parameters.Received: 6 November 2003     

Fibrations by nonsmooth genus three curves in characteristic three

Bertini’s theorem on variable singular points may fail in positive characteristic, as was discovered by Zariski in 1944. In fact, he found fibrations by nonsmooth curves. In this work we continue to classify this phenomenon in characteristic three by constructing a two-dimensional algebraic fibration by nonsmooth plane projective quartic curves, that is universal in the sense that the data about some fibrations by nonsmooth plane projective quartics are condensed in it. Our approach has been motivated by the close relation between it and the theory of regular but nonsmooth curves, or equivalently, nonconservative function fields in one variable. Actually, it also provides an understanding of the interesting effect of the relative Frobenius morphism in fibrations by nonsmooth curves. In analogy to the Kodaira-Néron classification of special fibers of minimal fibrations by elliptic curves, we also construct the minimal proper regular model of some fibrations by nonsmooth projective plane quartic curves, determine the structure of the bad fibers, and study the global geometry of the total spaces.     

Twists of genus three curves over finite fields

In this article we recall how to describe the twists of a curve over a finite field and we show how to compute the number of rational points on such a twist by methods of linear algebra. We illustrate this in the case of plane quartic curves with at least 16 automorphisms. In particular we treat the twists of the Dyck–Fermat and Klein quartics. Our methods show how in special cases non-Abelian cohomology can be explicitly computed. They also show how questions which appear difficult from a function field perspective can be resolved by using the theory of the Jacobian variety.     

Explicit complete curves in the moduli space of curves of genus three

We explicitly describe complete, one-dimensional subvarieties of the moduli space of smooth complex curves of genus 3.Supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (N.W.O.).