We present a systematic approach to studying the geometric aspects of Vinberg theta-representations. The main idea is to use the Borel-Weil construction for representations of reductive groups as sections of homogeneous bundles on homogeneous spaces, and then to study degeneracy loci of these vector bundles. Our main technical tool is to use free resolutions as an "enhanced" version of degeneracy loci formulas. We illustrate our approach on several examples and show how they are connected to moduli spaces of Abelian varieties. To make the article accessible to both algebraists and geometers, we also include background material on free resolutions and representation theory.
Intersection cohomology of Popov-Vinberg varieties
Jesus College and Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford（牛津大学耶稣学院和数学研究所）；School of Mathematics and Maxwell Institute, University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学数学学院和麦克斯韦研究所）；Department of Mathematics, University of Oregon（俄勒冈大学数学系）
针对单连通分裂半单代数群 G 的 Popov-Vinberg 簇，提出递归计算其交点上同调的方法，并重点分析 G=SL_n 的情形。
For classical groups SL(n), SO(n) and Sp(2n), we define uniformly geometric valuations on the corresponding complete flag varieties. The valuation in every type comes from a natural coordinate system on the open Schubert cell and is combinatorially related to the Gelfand-Zetlin pattern in the same type. In types A and C, we identify the corresponding Newton-Okounkov polytopes with the Feigin-Fourier-Littelmann-Vinberg polytopes. In types B and D, we compute low-dimensional examples and formulate open questions.
We study the loci of principally polarized abelian varieties with points of high multiplicity on the theta divisor. Using the heat equation and degeneration techniques, we relate these loci and their closures to each other, as well as to the singular set of the universal theta divisor. We obtain bounds on the dimensions of these loci and relations among their dimensions, and make further conjectures about their structure.
The formula of expanding the Abel variety theta function restricted to Abel subvariety into theta functions of this subvariety is obtained. With the help of this formula the solution of differential equations with Jacobi theta functions, restricted on a nonprincipally polarized Abel subvariety and their translations are rewritten in terms of the theta functions of these subvarieties. This is exemplified by the CKP equations, the Bogoyavlenskij system, and the Toda $g_2^{(1)}$-chain.
In this paper we give a lower bound for the codimension of the Andreotti-Mayer loci in the moduli space of principally polarized complex abelian varieties. We also present a conjecture on this codimension.
We study the behavior of theta characteristics on an algebraic curve under the specialization map to a tropical curve. We show that each effective theta characteristic on the tropical curve is the specialization of $2^{g-1}$ even theta characteristics and $2^{g-1}$ odd theta characteristics. We then study the relationship between unramified double covers of a tropical curve and its theta characteristics, and use this to define the tropical Prym variety.
We introduce a new arithmetic invariant for hermitian line bundles on an arithmetic variety. We use this invariant to measure the variation of the volume function with respect to the metric. The main result of this paper is a generalized Hodge index theorem on arithmetic toric varieties.
In this text we prove that if an abelian variety $A$ admits of an embedding into the Jacobian of a smooth projective curve $C$, and if we consider $\Th_A$ to be the divisor $\Th_C\cap A$, where $\Th_C$ denotes the theta divisor of $J(C)$, then the embedding of $\Th_A$ into $A$ induces an injective push-forward homomorphism at the level of Chow groups. We show that this is the case for every principally polarized abelian varieties.
This paper is a survey on relations between secant identities and soliton equations and applications of soliton equations to problems of algebraic geometry, i.e., the Riemann-Schottky problem and its analogues. A short introduction into the analytic theory of theta functions is also given.
We define a theta operator on p-adic vector-valued modular forms on unitary groups of arbitrary signature, over a quadratic imaginary field in which p is inert. We study its effect on Fourier-Jacobi expansions and prove that it extends holomorphically beyond the μ-ordinary locus, when applied to scalar-valued forms.
Using heuristics from mirror symmetry, combinations of Gross, Hacking, Keel, Kontsevich, and Siebert have given combinatorial constructions of canonical bases of "theta functions" on the coordinate rings of various log Calabi-Yau spaces, including cluster varieties. We prove that the theta bases for cluster varieties are determined by certain descendant log Gromov-Witten invariants of the symplectic leaves of the mirror/Langlands dual cluster variety, as predicted in the Frobenius structure conjecture of Gross-Hacking-Keel. We further show that these Gromov-Witten counts are often given by nai…
From a block-diagonal $(n+1) \times (m+1) \times (m+1)$ tensor symmetric in the last two entries one obtains two varieties: an intersection of symmetric determinantal hypersurfaces $X$ in $n$-dimensional projective space, and an intersection of quadrics $\mathfrak{C}$ in $m$-dimensional projective space. Under mild technical assumptions, we characterize the accidental singularities of $X$ in terms of $\mathfrak{C}$. We apply our methods to algebraic curves and show how to construct theta characteristics of certain canonical curves of genera 3, 4, and 5, generalizing a classical construction of…
The purpose of this paper is to show how the generic vanishing theorems of M. Green and the second author can be used to settle several questions and conjectures concerning the geometry of irregular complex projective varieties. First, we prove a conjecture of Arbarello and DeConcini characterizing principally polarized abelian varieties whose theta divisors are singular in codimension one. Secondly, we study the holomorphic Euler characteristics of varieties of general type having maximal Albanese dimension: we verify a conjecture of Kollar for subvarieties of abelian varieties, but show that…
We prove that an analogue of Jordan's theorem on finite subgroups of general linear groups does not hold for the groups of birational automorphisms of products of an elliptic curve and the projective line. This gives a negative answer to a question of V. L. Popov, arXiv:1001.1311 [math.AG].
Let p:C' -> C be an unramified double covering of irreducible smooth curves and let P be the attached Prym variety. We prove the schematic theta-dual equalities in the Prym variety T(C')=V^2 and T(V^2)=C', where V^2 is the Brill-Noether locus of P associated to p considered by Welters. As an application we prove a Torelli Theorem analogous to the fact that the g-th symmetric product of a curve D of genus g determines the curve.
Let $P \cup P'$ be the two component Prym variety associated to an étale double cover $\tilde{C} \to C$ of a non-hyperelliptic curve of genus $g \geq 6$ and let $|2Ξ_0|$ and $|2Ξ_0'|$ be the linear systems of second order theta divisors on $P$ and $P'$ respectively. The component $P'$ contains canonically the Prym curve $\tilde{C}$. We show that the base locus of the subseries of divisors containing $\tilde{C} \subset P'$ is scheme-theoretically the curve $\tilde{C}$. We also prove canonical isomorphisms between some subseries of $|2Ξ_0|$ and $|2Ξ_0'|$ and some subseries of second order theta …
We show that a large class of maximally degenerating families of n-dimensional polarized varieties come with a canonical basis of sections of powers of the ample line bundle. The families considered are obtained by smoothing a reducible union of toric varieties governed by a wall structure on a real n-(pseudo-)manifold. Wall structures have previously been constructed inductively for cases with locally rigid singularities and by Gromov-Witten theory for mirrors of log Calabi-Yau surfaces and K3 surfaces by various combinations of the authors. For trivial wall structures on the n-torus we retri…
We discuss variations of Hodge structures on abelian varieties that arise from intersecting translates of theta divisors with a special focus on the case of abelian varieties of dimension 4
We associate to a unimodular lattice L, endowed with an automorphism of square -1, a principally polarized abelian variety A:= L_R/L. We show that the configuration of i-invariant theta divisors of A follows a pattern very similar to the classical theory of theta characteristics; as a consequence we find that A has a high number of vanishing thetanulls. When L = E_8 we recover the 10 vanishing thetanulls of the abelian fourfold discovered by R. Varley.
We study products of irreducible theta divisors from two points of view. On the one hand, we characterize them as normal subvarieties of abelian varieties such that a desingularization has holomorphic Euler characteristic 1. On the other hand, we identify them up to birational equivalence among all varieties of maximal Albanese dimension. We also describe the structure of maximal Albanese dimension varieties X with holomorphic Euler characteristic 1 and irregularity 2dim X-1.
We compute all the top intersection numbers of divisors on the total space of the Poincare bundle restricted to the product of a curve and the abelian variety. We use these computations to find the class of the universal theta divisor and $m$-theta divisor inside the universal corank 1 semiabelian variety -- the boundary of the partial toroidal compactification of the moduli space of abelian varieties. We give two computational examples: we compute the boundary coefficient of the Andreotti-Mayer divisor (computed by Mumford but in a much harder and ad hoc way), and the analog of this for the u…
This is a survey covering aspects of varied work of the authors with Mohammed Abouzaid, Paul Hacking, and Sean Keel. While theta functions are traditionally canonical sections of ample line bundles on abelian varieties, we motivate, using mirror symmetry, the idea that theta functions exist in much greater generality. This suggestion originates with the work of the late Andrei Tyurin. We outline how to construct theta functions on the degenerations of varieties constructed in previous work of the authors, and then explain applications of this construction to homological mirror symmetry and con…
For the Jacobian of a curve, the Riemann singularity theorem gives a geometric interpretation of the singularities of the theta divisor in terms of special linear series on the curve. This paper proves an analogous theorem for Prym varieties. Applications of this theorem to cubic threefolds, and Prym varieties of dimension five, are also considered.
To any closed subvariety $Y$ of a complex abelian variety one can attach a reductive algebraic group $G$ which is determined by the decomposition of the convolution powers of $Y$ via a certain Tannakian formalism. For a theta divisor $Y$ on a principally polarized abelian variety, this group $G$ provides a new invariant that naturally endows the moduli space $A_g$ of principally polarized abelian varieties of dimension $g$ with a finite constructible stratification. We determine $G$ for a generic principally polarized abelian variety, and for $g=4$ we show that the stratification detects the l…
The classes of two theta divisors on an abelian variety in the naive Grothendieck ring of varieties need not be congruent modulo the class of the affine line.
We study the geometry of some varieties of sums of powers related to the Klein quartic. This allows us to describe the birational geometry of certain moduli spaces of abelian surfaces. In particular we show that the moduli space $\mathcal{A}_2(1,7)^{-}_{sym}$ of $(1,7)$-polarized abelian surfaces with a symmetric theta structure and an odd theta characteristic is unirational by showing that it admits a dominant morphism from a unirational conic bundle.
We study the birational geometry of irregular varieties and the singularities of Theta divisors of PPAV's in positive characteristic by applying recent generic vanishing results of Hacon and Patakfalvi. In particular, we prove that irreducible Theta divisors of principally polarized abelian varieties are strongly F-regular, which extends an old result of Ein and Lazarsfeld to fields of positive characteristic. In order to prove this, we formulate a positive characteristic analogue of another result of Ein and Lazarsfeld, to the effect that the Albanese image of a smooth projective variety of m…
We define a tropicalization procedure for theta functions on abelian varieties over a non-Archimedean field. We show that the tropicalization of a non-Archimedean theta function is a tropical theta function, and that the tropicalization of a non-Archimedean Riemann theta function is a tropical Riemann theta function, up to scaling and an additive constant. We apply these results to the construction of rational functions with prescribed behavior on the skeleton of a principally polarized abelian variety. We work with the Raynaud--Bosch--Lütkebohmert theory of non-Archimedean theta functions for…
We look into a construction of principal abelian varieties attached to certain spin manifolds, due to Witten and Moore-Witten around 2000 and try to place it in a broader framework. This is related to Weil intermediate Jacobians but it also suggests to associate abelian varieties to polarized even weight Hodge structures. The latter construction can also be explained in terms of algebraic groups which might be useful from the point of view of Tannakian categories. The constructions depend on moduli much as in Teichmüller theory although the period maps in general are only real analytic. One of…
We study ample divisors X with only rational singularities on abelian varieties that decompose into a sum of two lower dimensional subvarieties, X=V+W. For instance, we prove an optimal lower bound on the degree of the corresponding addition map, and show that the minimum can only be achieved if X is a theta divisor. Conjecturally, the latter happens only on Jacobians of curves and intermediate Jacobians of cubic threefolds. As an application, we prove that nondegenerate generic vanishing subschemes of indecomposable principally polarized abelian varieties are automatically reduced and irreduc…
Inspired by a theorem of Gruson-Lazarsfeld-Peskine bounding the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of curves in projective spaces, we bound the Theta-regularity of curves in polarized abelian varieties.
We generalize the standard combinatorial techniques of toric geometry to the study of log Calabi-Yau surfaces. The character and cocharacter lattices are replaced by certain integral linear manifolds described by Gross, Hacking, and Keel, and monomials on toric varieties are replaced with the canonical theta functions which GHK defined using ideas from mirror symmetry. We describe the tropicalizations of theta functions and use them to generalize the dual pairing between the character and cocharacter lattices. We use this to describe generalizations of dual cones, Newton and polar polytopes, M…
We describe an efficient algorithm for the computation of separable isogenies between abelian varieties represented in the coordinate system given by algebraic theta functions. Let $A$ be an abelian variety of dimension $g$ defined over a field of odd characteristic. Our algorithm decomposes in two principal steps. First, given a theta null point for $A$ and a subgroup $K$ isotropic for the Weil pairing, we explain how to compute the theta null point corresponding to the quotient abelian variety $A/K$. Then, from the knowledge of a theta null point of $A/K$, we give an algorithm to obtain a ra…
We prove canonical isomorphisms between Spin Verlinde spaces, i.e, spaces of global sections of a determinant line bundle over the moduli space of semistable Spin-bundles over a smooth projective curve C, and the dual spaces of theta functions over Prym varieties of unramified double covers of C.
The Jacobian varieties of smooth curves fit together to form a family, the universal Jacobian, over the moduli space of smooth marked curves, and the theta divisors of these curves form a divisor in the universal Jacobian. In this paper we describe how to extend these families over the moduli space of stable marked curves (or rather an open subset thereof) using a stability parameter. We then prove a wall-crossing formula describing how the theta divisor varies with the stability parameter. We use that result to analyze a divisor on the moduli space of smooth marked curves that has recently be…
A linear algebraic group $G$ is represented by the linear space of its algebraic functions $F(G)$ endowed with multiplication and comultiplication which turn it into a Hopf algebra. Supplying $G$ with a Poisson structure, we get a quantized version $F_q(G)$ which has the same linear structure and comultiplication, but deformed multiplication. This paper develops a similar theory for abelian varieties. A description of abelian varieties $A$ in terms of linear algebra data was given by Mumford: $F(G)$ is replaced by the graded ring of theta functions with symmetric automorphy factors, and comult…
We show that the Verlinde formula for moduli spaces of spin bundles on an algebraic curve gives dimensions of direct sums of spaces of theta functions over the finite set of Prym varieties of unramified double covers of the curve. We then construct a natural duality (though we do not show it is nondegenerate) between the latter spaces and the spaces of sections of the theta bundles on the moduli spaces of spin bundles corresponding to the orthogonal representation. Finally, it is remarked that this should be viewed as a special case of a conjectured `strange duality' for spin bundles.
We study Jacobian varieties for tropical curves. These are real tori equipped with integral affine structure and symmetric bilinear form. We define tropical counterpart of the theta function and establish tropical versions of the Abel-Jacobi, Riemann-Roch and Riemann theta divisor theorems.
We give a construction of generalized cluster varieties and generalized cluster scattering diagrams for reciprocal generalized cluster algebras, the latter of which were defined by Chekhov and Shapiro. These constructions are analogous to the structures given for ordinary cluster algebras in the work of Gross, Hacking, Keel, and Kontsevich. As a consequence of these constructions, we are also able to construct theta functions for generalized cluster algebras, again in the reciprocal case, and demonstrate a number of their structural properties.
In this paper we approach the study of generalized theta linear series on moduli of vector bundles on curves via vector bundle techniques on abelian varieties. We study what are called the Verlinde bundles in order to obtain information about duality between theta functions and effective global and normal generation on these moduli spaces.
This paper generalizes for non-abelian theta functions a number of formulae valid for theta functions of Jacobian varieties. The addition formula, the relation with the Szego kernel and with the multicomponent KP hierarchy and the behavior under cyclic coverings are given.
This paper proves the following converse to a theorem of Mumford: Let $A$ be a principally polarized abelian variety of dimension five, whose theta divisor has a unique singular point, and suppose that the multiplicity of the singular point is three. Then $A$ is isomorphic as a principally polarized abelian variety to the intermediate Jacobian of a smooth cubic threefold. The method of proof is to analyze the possible singularities of the theta divisor of $A$, and eventually to show that $A$ is the Prym variety of a possibly singular plane quintic.
We obtain, by a direct computation, explicit descriptions of all principally polarized semi-abelic varieties of torus rank up to 3. We describe the geometry of their symmetric theta divisors and obtain explicit formulas for the involution and its fixed points. These results allow us to give a new proof of the statements about the dimensions, for small genus, of the loci of ppav with theta divisor containing two-torsion points of multiplicity three. We also prove a result about the closure of this set. Our computations used in our work arXiv:1103.1857 to compute the class of the closure of the …
Theta functions of level n on the principally polarised Prym varieties of an algebraic curve are dual to sections of the orthogonal theta line bundle on the moduli space of Spin(n)-bundles over the curve. As a by-product of our computations we also note that when n is odd the pfaffian line bundle on moduli space has a basis of sections labelled by the even theta characteristics of the curve.
This paper extends joint work with R. Friedman to show that the closure of the locus of intermediate Jacobians of smooth cubic threefolds, in the moduli space of principally polarized abelian varieties (ppav's) of dimension five, is an irreducible component of the locus of ppav's whose theta divisor has a point of multiplicity three or more. This paper also gives a sharp bound on the multiplicity of a point on the theta divisor of an irreducible ppav of dimension less than or equal to five; for dimensions four and five, this improves the bound due to J. Kollár, R. Smith-R. Varley, and L. Ein-R…
We study the birational geometry of some moduli spaces of abelian varieties with extra structure: in particular, with a symmetric theta structure and an odd theta characteristic. For a $(d_1,d_2)$-polarized abelian surface, we show how the parities of the $d_i$ influence the relation between canonical level structures and symmetric theta structures. For certain values of $d_1$ and $d_2$, a theta characteristic is needed in order to define Theta-null maps. We use these Theta-null maps and preceding work of other authors on the representations of the Heisenberg group to study the birational geom…
We construct families of principally polarized abelian varieties whose theta divisor is irreducible and contains an abelian subvariety. These families are used to construct examples when the Gauss map of the theta divisor is only generically finite and not finite. That is, the Gauss map in these cases has at least one positive-dimensional fiber. We also obtain lower-bounds on the dimension of Andreotti-Mayer loci.
Anderson introduced a $p$-adic version of soliton theory. He then applied it to the Jacobian variety of a cyclic quotient of a Fermat curve and showed that torsion points of certain prime order lay outside of the theta divisor. In this paper, we evolve his theory further. As an application, we get a stronger result on the intersection of the theta divisor and torsion points on the Jacobian variety for more general curves. New examples are discussed as well. A key new ingredient is a map connecting the $p$-adic loop group and the formal group.
Geometric Quantization links holomorphic geometry with real geometry, a relation that is a prototype for the modern development of mirror symmetry. We show how to use this treatment to construct a special basis in every space of conformal blocks. This is a direct generalization of the basis of theta functions with characteristics in every complete linear system on an Abelian variety (see Mumford's "Tata lectures on theta" cite(Mumford)). The same construction generalizes the classical theory of theta functions to vector bundles of higher rank on Abelian varieties and K3 surfaces. We also discu…
