Zur Entartung gezuegelter Gruppenoperationen auf Kurven (Degeneration of restrained group actions on curves)

An action of a finite group on a smooth projective curve over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic is called restrained, if all second ramification groups are trivial (e.g., every group action on an ordinary curve is restrained). When the ramification indices satisfy certain numerical criteria, we construct a degenerating equivariant quasi-projective family to which the given curve belongs, and which in a sense is the unique building block for all such restrained equivariant families that ramify above a fixed set of points. The result is used to inductively study automorphisms of ordinary curves.