Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 13 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . The derivative of the Abelian sum map is most naturally stated using principal parts. The tangent space of the symmetric product of a curve at is , and the tangent space of the Jacobian variety is . With these identifications,Its dual is restriction of holomorphic one-forms to the length- divisor scheme. In particular,The last equality is the Riemann-Roch theorem. These formulas apply to repeated points as well as distinct ones.
Here is a direct proof of the repeated-point Abel differential formula. At a multiplicity- point, choose a local coordinate with . A nearby local divisor is described by the roots , or, without making an ordering choice, by their elementary symmetric functions :These are smooth local coordinates on the symmetric product of a curve, including at the repeated divisor. Under a first-order deformation, minus the logarithmic variation of this defining polynomial is the principal partThe sign can be checked at : moving the point from to gives , and the Abel integral changes by .
Write and its local primitive as . The local contribution to the Abelian sum map is . Newton's identities, linearized at , giveSubstituting in the primitive therefore givesSumming over the support proves the theorem. In particular, a multiplicity- point tests the first coefficients of a holomorphic one-form, not just its value. The residue pairing between principal parts of order at most and differential jets through order is perfect. Thus the annihilator of the derivative is precisely the holomorphic one-forms vanishing to order at least at every , namely .
There is also a sheaf cohomology description that explains its kernel geometrically. The sequencegives a connecting homomorphism . Represent a principal part by meromorphic lifts on coordinate disks; their differences on overlaps give its Čech cohomology class. Under Serre duality, pairing this class with is the sum of the residues of , so is the displayed derivative. Exactness shows that its kernel is , of dimension , in agreement with the tangent directions to the complete linear system of a divisor in Solution 2.
Two consequences will be useful below. If , then has negative degree and no nonzero sections, so is a submersion everywhere. Its image is open, and it is also closed because is compact. Since the Jacobian variety is connected, is surjective. Thus the points generate the Jacobian variety as a group. Together with Abel's theorem, this identifies the degree-zero Picard group with the Jacobian variety: every line bundle has a meromorphic section and thus a divisor representation, injectivity is Abel's theorem, and surjectivity follows from .
For , one can choose distinct points imposing independent conditions on : at each step a surviving nonzero holomorphic one-form has only finitely many zeros, so choose a point where it does not vanish. Their sum has and hence . The derivative has rank there. Consequently is an irreducible subvariety of dimension . This also covers , when and are points.