Level-$δ$ limit linear series

Abstract

We introduce the notion of level-$δ$ limit linear series, which describe limits of linear series along families of smooth curves degenerating to a singular curve $X$. We treat here only the simplest case where $X$ is the union of two smooth components meeting transversely at a point $P$. The integer $δ$ stands for the singularity degree of the total space of the degeneration at $P$. If the total space is regular, we get level-1 limit linear series, which are precisely those introduced by Osserman in 2006. We construct a projective moduli space $G^r_{d,δ}(X)$ parameterizing level-$δ$ limit linear series of rank $r$ and degree $d$ on $X$, and show that it is a new compactification, for each $δ$, of the moduli space of Osserman exact limit linear series, an open subscheme $G^{r,*}_{d,1}(X)$ of the space $G^r_{d,1}(X)$ already constructed by Osserman. Finally, we generalize work by Esteves and Osserman by associating to each exact level-$δ$ limit linear series $\mathfrak g$ on $X$ a closed subscheme $\mathbb P(\mathfrak g)\subseteq X^{(d)}$ of the $d$th symmetric product of $X$, and showing that $\mathbb P(\mathfrak g)$ is the limit of the spaces of divisors associated to linear series on smooth curves degenerating to $\mathfrak g$ on $X$, if such degenerations exist. In particular, we describe completely limits of divisors along degenerations to such a curve $X$.