Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / iii / Paper 18 / 4 / i / Solution

For a line bundle $M$ on $C\times T$, put $d(t)=\mathrm{deg}{M}_t$, and choose an ample line bundle $A$ on $C$. Fix $t_0$. For sufficiently large $q$, both $H^1(C,M_{t_0}\otimes A^q)$ and $H^1(C,M_{t_0}^{-1}\otimes A^q)$ vanish, by Serre duality and negativity of the degrees of their dual canonical twists. The semicontinuity theorem for coherent cohomology makes both groups vanish on a neighborhood of $t_0$. The family is flat over $T$: $C\times T\to T$ is flat and the sheaves in question are locally free.

On that neighborhood the Riemann-Roch theorem givesUpper semicontinuity of both zeroth sheaf cohomology dimensions, after shrinking again, gives $d(t)\le d(t_0)$ and $-d(t)\le -d(t_0)$. Hence $d(t)=d(t_0)$. The degree is locally constant, and thus constant on connected $T$. With the usual convention that a variety is irreducible, this proves the assertion as printed. If disconnected varieties are allowed, the necessary qualification is constancy on each connected component: take $T$ to be two points and the bundles ${\mathcal{O}}_{{\mathbb{P}}^1}$ and ${\mathcal{O}}_{{\mathbb{P}}^1}(1)$ to see that a global constant degree need not exist.