Focal Varieties of Curves of Genus 6 and 8

Abstract

In this paper we give a simple Torelli type theorem for curves of genus 6 and 8 by showing that these curves can be reconstructed from their Brill-Noether varieties. Among other results, it is shown that the focal variety of a general, canonical and nonhyperelliptic curve of genus 6 is a hypersurface.