Reachable sheaves on ribbons and deformations of moduli spaces of sheaves

Abstract: A primitive multiple curve is a Cohen-Macaulay irreducible projective curve Y that can be locally embedded in a smooth surface, and such that C=Y_red is smooth. In this case, L=I_C/I_C^2 is a line bundle on C. If Y is of multiplicity 2, i.e. if I_C^2=0, Y is called a ribbon. If Y is a ribbon and h^0(L^{-2})>0, then Y can be deformed to smooth curves, but in general a coherent sheaf on Y cannot be deformed in coherent sheaves on the smooth curves. A ribbon with associated line bundle L such that deg(L)=-d<0 can be deformed to reduced curves having 2 irreducible components if L can be written as L=O_C(-P1-...-Pd)$, where P1,...,P_d are distinct points of C. In this case we prove that quasi locally free sheaves on Y can be deformed to torsion free sheaves on the reducible curves with two components. This has some consequences on the structure and deformations of the moduli spaces of semi-stable sheaves on Y.