On linear systems with multiple points on a rational normal curve

Abstract

We give a closed formula for the dimension of all linear systems in $\mathbb{P}^n$ with assigned multiplicity at arbitrary collections of points lying on a rational normal curve of degree $n$. In particular we give a purely geometric explanation of the speciality of these linear systems, which is due to the presence of certain subvarieties in the base locus: linear spans of points, secant varieties of the rational normal curve or joins between them.