Genuinely ramified maps and monodromy

Abstract

For any genuinely ramified morphism $f\, :\, Y\, \longrightarrow\, X$ between irreducible smooth projective curves we prove that $\overline{(Y\times_X Y) \setminus Δ}$ is connected, where $Δ\, \subset\, Y\times_X Y$ is the diagonal. Using this result the following are proved: If $f$ is further Morse then the Galois closure is the symmetric group $S_d$, where $d\,=\, \text{degree}(f)$. The Galois group of the general projection, to a line, of any smooth curve $X\,\subset\, \PP^n$ of degree $d$, which is not contained in a hyperplane and contains a non-flex point, is $S_d$.