Stable curve

In algebraic geometry, a stable curve is an algebraic curve that is asymptotically stable in the sense of geometric invariant theory.

This is equivalent to the condition that it is a complete connected curve whose only singularities are ordinary double points and whose automorphism group is finite. The condition that the automorphism group is finite can be replaced by the condition that it is not of arithmetic genus one and every non-singular rational component meets the other components in at least 3 points (Deligne & Mumford 1969).

A semi-stable curve is one satisfying similar conditions, except that the automorphism group is allowed to be reductive rather than finite (or equivalently its connected component may be a torus). Alternatively the condition that non-singular rational components meet the other components in at least 3 points is replaced by the condition that they meet in at least 2 points.

Similarly a curve with a finite number of marked points is called stable if it is complete, connected, has only ordinary double points as singularities, and has finite automorphism group. For example an elliptic curve (a non-singular genus 1 curve with 1 marked point) is stable.

Over the complex numbers, a connected curve is stable if and only if, after removing all singular and marked points, the universal covers of all its components are isomorphic to the unit disk.

References

Deligne, Pierre; Mumford, David (1969), "The irreducibility of the space of curves of given genus", Publications Mathématiques de l'IHÉS 36 (36): 75–109, doi:10.1007/BF02684599, MR 0262240
Gieseker, D. (1982), Lectures on moduli of curves, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Lectures on Mathematics and Physics 69, Published for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, ISBN 978-3-540-11953-1, MR 691308
Harris, Joe; Morrison, Ian (1998), Moduli of curves, Graduate Texts in Mathematics 187, Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag, ISBN 978-0-387-98429-2, MR 1631825

Topics in algebraic curves

Rational curves

Elliptic curves

Analytic theory	Elliptic function Elliptic integral Fundamental pair of periods Modular form

Arithmetic theory	Counting points on elliptic curves Division polynomials Hasse's theorem on elliptic curves Mazur's torsion theorem Modular elliptic curve Modularity theorem Mordell–Weil theorem Nagell–Lutz theorem Supersingular elliptic curve Schoof's algorithm Schoof–Elkies–Atkin algorithm

Applications	Elliptic curve cryptography Elliptic curve primality

Higher genus

Plane curves

Riemann surfaces

Constructions

Structure of curves

Divisors on curves	Abel–Jacobi map Brill–Noether theory Clifford's theorem on special divisors Gonality of an algebraic curve Jacobian variety Riemann–Roch theorem Weierstrass point Weil reciprocity law

Moduli	ELSV formula Gromov–Witten invariant Hodge bundle Moduli of algebraic curves Stable curve

Morphisms	Hasse–Witt matrix Riemann–Hurwitz formula Prym variety Weber's theorem

Singularities	Acnode Crunode Cusp Delta invariant Tacnode

Vector bundles	Birkhoff–Grothendieck theorem Stable vector bundle Vector bundles on algebraic curves

Stable curve

See also

References