Jacobian variety ($J(C)={\mathrm{Pic}}^0(C)$)

The Jacobian variety of a smooth projective algebraic curve parametrizes degree-zero line bundles. Its dimension is the genus of the algebraic curve. An effective degree-$d$ Cartier divisor defines a point in a degree-$d$ torsor through the Abel map of an algebraic curve. The theta divisor induces an isomorphism with the dual abelian variety.

A smooth projective curve over the complex numbers is determined up to isomorphism by its Jacobian variety together with its canonical principal polarization of a complex torus. For genus at least three, the branch locus of the theta Gauss map recovers the canonical curve by projective biduality theorem, or recovers the canonical rational normal curve and the branch points of a hyperelliptic curve. In genus two the theta divisor itself is the curve; in genus one the Jacobian variety is the curve after choosing an origin. The polarization is essential data in this statement.

For a smooth connected projective curve $C$ with chosen basepoint $p$, the Abel map of an algebraic curve $i_p:C\to J(C)$ sends $q$ to $[q-p]$. Every morphism $g:C\to A$ to an abelian variety with $g(p)=0$ factors uniquely through a homomorphism $J(C)\to A$. This universal property converts a curve embedded in an abelian variety into a homomorphism from its Jacobian.

The theta divisor consists of degree-$g-1$ line bundles with a nonzero global section. It is the irreducible image of the symmetric product of a curve $C^{(g-1)}$, with its reduced Cartier divisor structure. The determinant description of the theta divisor supplies equations, multiplicities and pullbacks in families.

For the period matrix of a genus-$g$ compact Riemann surface, there is a vector $\kappa$ depending on the marking and base point such that the Riemann theta function vanishes exactly on this translate of the image of the Abelian sum map. Pairing sides of the cut surface proves that a nonzero pullback $\theta (u(p)-z)$ has a degree-$g$ zero divisor whose Abel sum is $z+\kappa$. At a theta zero that pullback includes the base point. Irreducibility and dimension of the effective-divisor locus give equality of supports; the primitive First Chern class of the theta line bundle makes the divisor reduced.

If $p\mapsto \theta (u(p)-z)$ is not identically zero, its zero divisor $D_z$ has these properties. The logarithmic derivative changes by $-2\pi i{\omega }_j$ across the paired $b_j$ translation, giving zero count $g$. For a variation of $z$, the logarithm changes there by $2\pi i\delta z_j$; integrating by parts in the first-moment contour integral gives $\delta \mathrm{AJ}(D_z)=\delta z$. Thus the difference is constant. Weighted zero divisors, rather than a distinct-zero assumption, make the statement valid at collisions.

The vector of Riemann constants is the parameter-independent class obtained from the zeros of $p\mapsto \theta (u(p)-z)$ using the displayed formula. Under this sign convention the theta divisor is $W_{g-1}-\kappa$. It depends on the base point and normalized symplectic marking; some accounts use its negative. Changing the marking or sign convention must also change the translation formula consistently.

Translate the tangent hyperplane at a smooth point of the theta divisor to the identity of the Jacobian variety. Its annihilator defines the Gauss map. At $L={\mathcal{O}}_X(D)$ with $h^0(L)=1$, the derivative of the Abelian sum map identifies this annihilator with the unique line $H^0(K_X(-D))$. Thus $\Gamma (L)=[\omega ]$ implies $D\le \mathrm{div}(\omega )$. This connects the intrinsic geometry of the theta divisor to the canonical map of the curve.

Normalize the target in the function field of the generically finite Gauss map of a theta divisor; its finite map has an intrinsic branch locus. For a nonhyperelliptic smooth projective curve, this locus is the projective dual variety of the canonical curve. For a hyperelliptic curve of genus at least three, it is the union of the dual hypersurface of its canonical rational normal curve and the $2g+2$ hyperplanes corresponding to branch points. Locally, ramification exchanges two roots of a hyperplane section, or exchanges the two lifts of a root passing through a branch point. Biduality then recovers the curve or its double-cover data.

For a compact Riemann surface of genus $g\ge 1$, the theta divisor in ${\mathrm{Pic}}^{g-1}(X)$ has the displayed multiplicity. A local determinant description of the theta divisor reduces to an $r$ by $r$ matrix vanishing at $L$, where $r=h^0(L)$. Its linear term is cup product with a tangent class in $H^1({\mathcal{O}}_X)$. The invertible cup-product direction for a line bundle on a curve shows that its determinant has order exactly $r$. Consequently the singular locus consists precisely of classes with at least two independent global sections.

For a square evaluation matrix representing a degree-$g-1$ line bundle $L$, remove an invertible minor of size $N-h^0(L)$. Holomorphic row and column operations leave a square matrix $M$ of size $r=h^0(L)$ with zero constant term. Its linear part in a tangent direction $\xi \in H^1({\mathcal{O}}_X)$ is $\xi ⌣-:H^0(L)\to H^1(L)$. The invertible cup-product direction for a line bundle on a curve makes the leading degree-$r$ determinant nonzero, establishing order exactly $r$ rather than just a lower bound.

The tangent cone to a theta divisor at a degree-$g-1$ line bundle $L$ is cut out in $H^1({\mathcal{O}}_X)$ by the determinant of $\xi ⌣-:H^0(L)\to H^1(L)$. Under Serre duality its matrix entries are $⟨\xi ,s_i{t}_j⟩$ for bases of $H^0(L)$ and $H^0(K_X\otimes L^{-1})$. For $h^0(L)=1$, its tangent hyperplane is annihilated by the nonzero holomorphic differential form $s_1{t}_1$.

For $T_q(x)=x+q$, the homomorphism associated to a line bundle on an abelian variety gives ${\lambda }_{\Theta }(q)=T_q^{\ast }\mathcal{O}(\Theta )\otimes \mathcal{O}(\Theta {)}^{-1}$. Restrict to the negative Abel map of an algebraic curve. The restriction of the theta divisor to an Abel curve identifies this restriction with the degree-zero class $q$. Pullback of algebraically trivial line bundles does not change when the embedding is translated. Thus pullback $\rho :\widehat{J(C)}\to J(C)$ satisfies $\rho {\lambda }_{\Theta }=1$. Equal dimensions and properness make ${\lambda }_{\Theta }$ an isomorphism, including on schemes, rather than only on closed points.

For a degree-$g$ divisor class $D$ with $h^0({\mathcal{O}}_C(D))=1$, let $D_0$ be its unique effective representative. Under ${\varphi }_D(P)=[D-P]$, evaluation of the unique global section gives ${\varphi }_D^{\ast }\Theta =D_0$, including multiplicities. If $h^0({\mathcal{O}}_C(D))\ge 2$, every evaluation kernel is nonzero and the entire curve lies in the theta divisor. These restrictions also show that $h^0(\mathcal{O}(\Theta ))=1$: after pulling back to a dominant product of curves, the ratio of any section to the defining section of the theta divisor is constant on each general coordinate curve, hence constant everywhere.

Choose an effective Cartier divisor $E$ of degree at least $g$ on a smooth projective genus-$g$ algebraic curve. For a family $M$ of degree-$g-1$ line bundles, the evaluation map from ${\pi }_{\ast }M(E)$ to ${\pi }_{\ast }(M(E){|}_E)$ is between vector bundles of the same rank. Its determinant vanishes exactly when $H^0(C,M)$ is nonzero. Changing $E$ changes the presentation by cancelling an invertible determinant factor; the zero Cartier divisor is the theta divisor. At a point with $h^0(M)=h^1(M)=1$, the derivative is the cup-product map $H^1({\mathcal{O}}_C)\to \mathrm{Hom}(H^0(M),H^1(M))$. By Serre duality it is nonzero, since the product of nonzero sections of $M$ and $K_C\otimes M^{-1}$ is nonzero. Hence this Cartier divisor is generically reduced.

Suppose a line bundle $L$ of degree $g-1$ on a smooth projective curve has $h^0(L)=h^1(L)=r$. Choose $r$ distinct points where evaluation is invertible for both $H^0(L)$ and $H^0(K_X\otimes L^{-1})$. Such choices exist simultaneously: each determinant defines a nonempty open subset of $X^r$, since independent sections cannot vanish at every point. Let $\xi \in H^1({\mathcal{O}}_X)=H^0(K_X{)}^{\ast }$ be a sum of nonzero weighted evaluation functionals at these points. The Serre duality matrix of $\xi ⌣-$ factors as the product of the two invertible evaluation matrices and an invertible diagonal matrix. Its determinant is nonzero. This gives the nonzero leading determinant needed for the Riemann singularity theorem.

On $C\times C^n$, let ${\Gamma }_i$ be the graph of the $i$th coordinate and $D={\sum }_i{\Gamma }_i$. Successive restriction exact sequences giveWhen $h^0(L)=n$ and $h^1(L)=0$, the determinant of evaluation vanishes at tuples where $H^0(L(-D))$ is nonzero. On distinct points it is the ordinary evaluation determinant; the diagonal factors remove its forced zero when two points coincide. This explains why the formula remains valid at repeated points, using jets instead of repeated evaluations.

Evaluation determinants for $L\otimes P$ and $L$ have a quotient which is a rational section of ${⨂}_i{\mathrm{pr}}_i^{\ast }P$, not intrinsically a scalar. If $P^N\cong {\mathcal{O}}_C$, its $N$th power becomes a rational function after choosing that trivialization. In Cartier divisor notation, write $P={\mathcal{O}}_C(p)$ and $\mathrm{div}(h)=Np$. With raw meromorphic evaluations the scalar expression is $r^N{\prod }_{i}h(z_i)$. The extra product accounts for the line-bundle frames; it is suppressed when evaluation already uses compatible torsion trivializations.

The Abel map of an algebraic curve sends an effective Cartier divisor $D$ to its line bundle ${\mathcal{O}}_C(D)$. Its scheme fibre over a line bundle $L$ is the projective space of one-dimensional subspaces of $H^0(C,L)$. This follows in families: a relative effective Cartier divisor in the fixed class determines a nowhere fibre-zero section of $L$ up to a line bundle from the parameter space, equivalently a line subbundle of $H^0(C,L)\otimes {\mathcal{O}}_T$. Thus the scheme fibre is smooth, not merely reduced on its points. The dimensions can nevertheless jump, so the Abel map of an algebraic curve need not be a smooth morphism.

For an effective divisor on an algebraic curve $D$ on a smooth projective curve, the Zariski tangent space to its symmetric product of a curve is $H^0({\mathcal{O}}_D(D))$. The derivative of the Abelian sum map is the connecting homomorphism of $0\to {\mathcal{O}}_X\to {\mathcal{O}}_X(D)\to {\mathcal{O}}_D(D)\to 0$. Its dual under Serre duality is restriction of holomorphic differential forms to $D$, including all jets at repeated points. Hence its rank is $\mathrm{deg}D+1-h^0({\mathcal{O}}_X(D))$, and its image annihilates $H^0(K_X(-D))$.

At a multiplicity-$r$ point, choose a local parameter and elementary symmetric coordinates $e_1,\dots ,e_r$ for the nearby roots. The tangent principal part is $v={\sum }_{k=1}^r(-1{)}^{k-1}\delta e_k{z}^{-k}$. Newton's identities give $d(\sum z_i^k)=(-1{)}^{k-1}kd{e}_k$. Expanding the primitive of a holomorphic one-form proves the residue formula, including its sign. The dual map is restriction to the length-$r$ scheme, so it sees all jets through order $r-1$.