We give explicit computational algorithms to construct minimal degree (always $le 4$) ramified covers of $Prj^1$ for algebraic curves of genus 5 and 6. This completes the work of Schicho and Sevilla (who dealt with the $g le 4$ case) on constructing radical parametrisations of arbitrary genus $g$ curves. Zariski showed that this is impossible for the general curve of genus $ge 7$. We also construct minimal degree birational plane models and show how the existence of degree 6 plane models for genus 6 curves is related to the gonality and geometric type of a certain auxiliary surface.
We report on the problem of the existence of complex and real algebraic curves in the plane with prescribed singularities up to analytic and topological equivalence. The question is whether, for a given positive integer $d$ and a finite number of given analytic or topological singularity types, there exist a plane (irreducible) curve of degree $d$ having singular points of the given type as its only singularities. The set of all such curves is a quasi-projective variety, which we call an equisingular family (ESF). We describe, in terms of numerical invariants of the curves and their singularities, the state of the art concerning necessary and sufficient conditions for the non-emptiness and $T$-smoothness (i.e., smooth of expected dimension) of the corresponding ESF. The considered singularities can be arbitrary, but we spend special attention to plane curves with nodes and cusps, the most studied case, where still no complete answer is known in general. An important result is, however, that the necessary and the sufficient conditions show the same asymptotics for $T$-smooth equisingular families if the degree goes to infinity.
We enumerate complex curves on toric surfaces of any given degree and genus, having a single cusp and nodes as their singularities, and matching appropriately many point constraints. The solution is obtained via tropical enumerative geometry. The same technique applies to enumeration of real plane cuspidal curves: We show that, for any fixed $rge1$ and $dge2r+3$, there exists a generic real $2r$-dimensional linear family of plane curves of degree $d$ in which the number of real $r$-cuspidal curves is asymptotically comparable with the total number of complex $r$-cuspidal curves in the family, as $dtoinfty$.
We give a formula for the number of genus-two fixed-complex-structure degree-d plane curves passing through 3d-2 points in general position. This is achieved by completing Katz-Qin-Ruans approach. This papers formula agrees with the one obtained by the author in a completely different way.
In this paper we construct infinitely many Shimura curves contained in the locus of Jacobians of genus four curves. All Jacobians in these families are ${mathbb Z}/3$ covers of varying elliptic curves that appear in a geometric construction of Pirola, and include an example of a Shimura-Teichmuller curve that parameterizes Jacobians that are suitable ${mathbb Z}/6$ covers of ${mathbb P}^1$. We compute explicitly the period matrices of the Shimura curves we construct using the original construction of Shimura for moduli spaces of abelian varieties with automorphisms.
We investigate the geometry of etale $4:1$ coverings of smooth complex genus 2 curves with the monodromy group isomorphic to the Klein four-group. There are two cases, isotropic and non-isotropic depending on the values of the Weil pairing restricted to the group defining the covering. We recall from our previous work cite{bo} the results concerning the non-isotropic case and fully describe the isotropic case. We show that the necessary information to construct the Klein coverings is encoded in the 6 points on $mathbb{P}^1$ defining the genus 2 curve. The main result of the paper is the fact that, in both cases the Prym map associated to these coverings is injective. Additionally, we provide a concrete description of the closure of the image of the Prym map inside the corresponding moduli space of polarised abelian varieties.