We study Shimura curves of PEL type in the space of polarised abelian varieties $A^δ_p$ generically contained in the ramified Prym locus. We generalise to ramified double covers, the construction done in [10] in the unramified case and in the case of two ramification points. Namely, we construct families of double covers which are compatible with a fixed group action on the base curve. We only consider the case of one-dimensional families and where the quotient of the base curve by the group is ${\mathbb P}^1$. Using computer algebra we obtain 184 Shimura curves contained in the (ramified) Prym loci.
We show that families of Pryms of abelian Galois covers of $\mathbb{P}^1$ in $A_{g-1}$ (resp. $A_g$) do not give rise to high dimensional Shimura subvareties.
We study the ramified Prym map $\mathcal P_{g,r} \longrightarrow \mathcal A_{g-1+\frac r2}^δ$ which assigns to a ramified double cover of a smooth irreducible curve of genus $g$ ramified in $r$ points the Prym variety of the covering. We focus on the six cases where the dimension of the source is strictly greater than the dimension of the target giving a geometric description of the generic fibre. We also give an explicit example of a totally geodesic curve which is an irreducible component of a fibre of the Prym map ${\mathcal P}_{1,2}$.
We study Shimura (special) subvarieties in the moduli space $A_{p,D}$ of complex abelian varieties of dimension $p$ and polarization type $D$. These subvarieties arise from families of covers compatible with a fixed group action on the base curve such that the quotient of the base curve by the group is isomorphic to $\mathbb{P}^1$. We give a criterion for the image of these families under the Prym map to be a special subvariety and, using computer algebra, obtain 210 Shimura subvarieties contained in the Prym locus.
We study Shimura curves of PEL type in $\mathsf{A}_g$ generically contained in the Prym locus. We study both the unramified Prym locus, obtained using étale double covers, and the ramified Prym locus, corresponding to double covers ramified at two points. In both cases we consider the family of all double covers compatible with a fixed group action on the base curve. We restrict to the case where the family is 1-dimensional and the quotient of the base curve by the group is $\mathbb{P}^1$. We give a simple criterion for the image of these families under the Prym map to be a Shimura curve. Usin…
We prove that the ramified Prym map $\mathcal P_{g, r}$ which sends a covering $π:D\longrightarrow C$ ramified in $r$ points to the Prym variety $P(π):=\text{Ker}(\text{Nm}_π)$ is an embedding for all $r\ge 6$ and for all $g(C)>0$. Moreover, by studying the restriction to the locus of coverings of hyperelliptic curves, we show that $\mathcal P_{g, 2}$ and $\mathcal P_{g, 4}$ have positive dimensional fibers.
In this paper we construct Shimura subvarieties of dimension bigger than one of the moduli space of polarised abelian varieties of a given dimension, which are generically contained in the Pym loci of (ramified) double covers. The idea is to adapt the techniques already used to construct Shimura curves in the Prym loci to the higher dimensional case, namely to use families of Galois covers of the projective line. The case of abelian covers is treated in detail, since in this case it is possible to make explicit computations that allow to verify a sufficient condition for such a family to yield…
In this paper we prove that the Prym map, from the space of double coverings of a curve of genus g with r branch points to the moduli space of abelian varieties, is generically injective if r>6 and g>1, r=6 and g>2, r=4 and g>4, r=2 and g>5. We also show that a very generic Prym variety of dimension at least 4 is not isogenous to a Jacobian.
Under the condition that the Prym map is injective in characteristic $p$, we prove that the special subvarieties in the moduli space of abelian varieties of dimension $l$ and polarization type $D$, $A_{l,D}$, arising from families of abelian covers of $¶^1$ are of a very restrictive nature. In other words, if the family is one-dimensional or if it contains an eigenspace of certain type for the group action on the cohomology of fibers, then the Shimura varieties arising from such families can only be constructed by the group action of the family.
In this paper we study the second fundamental form of the Prym map $P_{g,r}: R_{g,r} \rightarrow {\mathcal A}^δ_{g-1+r}$ in the ramified case $r>0$. We give an expression of it in terms of the second fundamental form of the Torelli map of the covering curves. We use this expression to give an upper bound for the dimension of a germ of a totally geodesic submanifold, and hence of a Shimura subvariety of ${\mathcal A}^δ_{g-1+r}$, contained in the Prym locus.
In this paper we consider the Prym map for double coverings of curves of genus $g$ ramified at $r>0$ points. That is, the map associating to a double ramified covering its Prym variety. The generic Torelli theorem states that the Prym map is generically injective as soon as the dimension of the space of coverings is less or equal to the dimension of the space of polarized abelian varieties. We prove the generic injectivity of the Prym map in the cases of double coverings of curves with: (a) $g=2$, $r=6$, and (b) $g= 5$, $r=2$. In the first case the proof is constructive and can be extended to …
In this paper we give a bound on the dimension of a totally geodesic submanifold of the moduli space of polarised abelian varieties of a given dimension, which is contained in the Prym locus of a (possibly) ramified double cover. This improves the already known bounds. The idea is to adapt the techniques introduced by the authors in collaboration with A. Ghigi and G. P. Pirola for the Torelli map to the case of the Prym maps of (ramified) double covers.
We prove the generic injectivity of the Prym map, sending a double covering of an elliptic curve ramified at r>4 points to its polarized Prym variety. For r=6 the map is birational.
In this paper, we study special cycles on the Krämer model of $\mathrm{U}(1,1)(F/F_0)$-Rapoport-Zink spaces where $F/F_0$ is a ramified quadratic extension of $p$-adic number fields with the assumption that the $2$-dimensional hermitian space of special quasi-homomorphisms is anisotropic. We write down the decomposition of these special cycles and prove a version of Kudla-Rapoport conjecture in this case. We then apply the local results to compute the intersection numbers of special cycles on unitary Shimura curves and relate these intersection numbers to Fourier coefficients of central deriva…
To every double cover ramified in two points of a general trigonal curve of genus g, one can associate an étale double cover of a tetragonal curve of genus g+1. We show that the corresponding Prym varieties are canonically isomorphic as principally polarized abelian varieties.
This paper is a continuation of our paper math.AG/0006222. We study the reduction of certain PEL Shimura varieties with parahoric level structure at primes p at which the group that defines the Shimura variety ramifies. We describe "good" $p$-adic integral models of these Shimura varieties and study their 'etale local structure. In particular, we exhibit a stratification of their (singular) special fibers and give a partial calculation of the sheaf of nearby cycles.
We show the existence of two new Shimura subvarieties of $\mathcal{A}_2, \mathcal{A}_3$ generically contained in the Torelli locus. They provide the first examples of Shimura subvarieties obtained by means of Jacobians carrying non-trivial endomorphisms not directly induced by the automorphisms of the curves. We also obtain a new example of a Shimura subvariety of $\mathcal{A}_4$ generically contained in the Prym locus.
We prove that the moduli space of double covers ramified at two points $\mathcal{R}_{g,2}$ is uniruled for $3\leq g\leq 6$ and of general type for $g\geq 16$. Furthermore, we consider Prym-canonical divisorial strata in the moduli space $\overline{\mathcal{C}^n\mathcal{R}}_g$ parametrizing $n$-pointed Prym curves, and we compute their classes in $\mathrm{Pic}_\mathbb{Q}(\overline{\mathcal{C}^n\mathcal{R}}_g)$.
In this article we study the Gross-Schoen diagonal cycle on a triple product of Shimura curves at a place of bad reduction. We relate the image of the diagonal cycle under the Abel-Jacobi map to certain period integral that governs the central critical value of the Garrett-Rankin type triple product $L$-function via level raising congruences. As an application we prove certain rank $0$ case of the Bloch-Kato conjecture for the symmetric cube motive of a weight $2$ modular form.
We study the structure of the supersingular locus of the Rapoport--Zink integral model of the Shimura variety for $\mathrm{GU}(2,2)$ over a ramified odd prime with the special maximal parahoric level. We prove that the supersingular locus equals the disjoint union of two basic loci, one of which is contained in the flat locus, and the other is not. We also describe explicitly the structures of basic loci. More precisely, the former one is purely $2$-dimensional, and each irreducible component is birational to the Fermat surface. On the other hand, the latter one is purely $1$-dimensional, and …
We analyze the geometry of the supersingular locus of the reduction modulo p of a Shimura variety associated to a unitary similitude group GU(1,n-1) over Q, in the case that p is ramified. We define a stratification of this locus and show that its incidence complex is closely related to a certain Bruhat-Tits simplicial complex. Each stratum is isomorphic to a Deligne-Lusztig variety associated to some symplectic group over F_p and some Coxeter element. The closure of each stratum is a normal projective variety with at most isolated singularities. The results are analogous to those of Vollaard/…
Let $k$ be a field of characteristic zero containing a primitive $n$-th root of unity. Let $C^0_n$ be a singular plane curve of degree $n$ over $k$ admitting an order $n$ automorphism, $n$ nodes as the singularities, and $C_n$ be its normalization. In this paper we study the factors of Prym variety $\mbox{Prym}(\widetilde{C}_n/C_n)$ associated to the double cover $\widetilde{C}_n$ of $C_n$ exactly ramified at the points obtained by the blow-up of the singularities. We provide explicit models of some algebraic curves related to the construction of $\mbox{Prym}(\widetilde{C}_n/C_n)$ as a Prym va…
We continue our study of the reduction of PEL Shimura varieties with parahoric level structure at primes p at which the group that defines the Shimura variety ramifies. We describe "good" $p$-adic integral models of these Shimura varieties and study their 'etale local structure. In this paper we mainly concentrate on the case of unitary groups for a ramified quadratic extension. Some of our results are applications of the theory of twisted affine flag varieties in our previous paper math.AG/0607130.
In this article, we study local models associated to certain Shimura varieties. In particular, we present a resoultion of their singularities. As a consequence, we are able to determine the alternating semisimple trace of the geometric Frobenius on the sheaf of nearby cycles.
Let $ϕ:\,X\rightarrow Y$ be a (possibly ramified) cover between two algebraic curves of positive genus. We develop tools that may identify the Prym variety of $ϕ$, up to isogeny, as the Jacobian of a quotient curve $C$ in the Galois closure of the composition of $ϕ$ with a well-chosen map $Y\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1$. This method allows us to recover all previously obtained descriptions of a Prym variety in terms of a Jacobian that are known to us, besides yielding new applications. We also find algebraic equations for some of these new cases, including one where $X$ has genus $3$, $Y$ has genu…
In this article, we prove results about the cohomology of compact unitary group Shimura varieties at split places. In nonendoscopic cases, we are able to give a full description of the cohomology, after restricting to integral Hecke operators at p on the automorphic side. We allow arbitrary ramification at p; even the PEL data may be ramified. This gives a description of the semisimple local Hasse-Weil zeta function in these cases. We also treat cases of nontrivial endoscopy. For this purpose, we give a general stabilization of the expression given in previous work, following the stabilization…
The classical definition of Prym varieties deals with the unramified covers of curves. The aim of the present paper is to give explicit algebraic descriptions of the Prym varieties associated to ramified double covers of algebraic curves. We make a careful study of the connection with the concept of algebraic completely integrable systems and we apply the methods to some problems of Mathematical Physics.
It is known that the Jacobian of an algebraic curve which is a 2-fold covering of a hyperelliptic curve ramified at two points contains a hyperelliptic Prym variety. Its explicit algebraic description is applied to some of the integrable Henon-Heiles systems with a non-polynomial potential. Namely, we identify the generic complex invariant manifolds of the systems as a hyperelliptic Prym subvariety of the Jacobian of the spectral curve of the corresponding Lax representation. The exact discretization of the system is described as a translation on the Prym variety.
In this article we use a Prym construction to study low dimensional abelian varieties with an action of the quaternion group. In special cases we describe the Shimura variety parameterizing such abelian varieties, as well as a map to this Shimura variety from a natural parameter space of quaternionic abelian varieties. Our description is based on the moduli of cubic threefolds with nine nodes, which we study in some detail.
Local models are schemes defined in terms of linear algebra which can be used to study the local structure of integral models of certain Shimura varieties, with parahoric level structure. We investigate the local models for groups of the form Res_{F/\Q_p} GL_n and Res_{F/\Q_p} GSp_2g where F/Q_p is a totally ramified extension, as defined by Pappas and Rapoport, and show that they are topologically flat. In the linear case, flatness can be deduced from this.
Local models are certain schemes, defined in terms of linear-algebraic moduli problems, which give étale-local neighborhoods of integral models of certain p-adic PEL Shimura varieties defined by Rapoport and Zink. When the group defining the Shimura variety ramifies at p, the local models (and hence the Shimura models) as originally defined can fail to be flat, and it becomes desirable to modify their definition so as to obtain a flat scheme. In the case of unitary similitude groups whose localizations at Q_p are ramified, quasi-split GU_n, Pappas and Rapoport have added new conditions, the so…
We prove that the moduli space of Calabi-Yau 3-folds coming from eight planes of $P^3$ in general positions is not modular. In fact we show the stronger statement that the Zariski closure of the monodromy group is actually the whole $Sp(20,R)$. We construct an interesting submoduli, which we call \emph{hyperelliptic locus}, over which the weight 3 $Q$-Hodge structure is the third wedge product of the weight 1 $Q$-Hodge structure on the corresponding hyperelliptic curve. The non-extendibility of the hyperelliptic locus inside the moduli space of a genuine Shimura subvariety is proved.
We study integral models, so-called Pappas-Rapoport or splitting models, of some PEL Shimura Varieties whose data are ramified at a prime p. We show that except in a specific case, these models are smooth when there is no level at p, and we study their special fiber modulo p. We show that interesting stratifications appear, and we show that the $μ$-ordinary locus is open and dense, following a strategy of Wedhorn in the unramified case.
Local models are schemes defined in linear algebra terms that describe the 'etale local structure of integral models for Shimura varieties and other moduli spaces. We point out that the flatness conjecture of Rapoport-Zink on local models fails in the presence of ramification and that in that case one has to modify their definition. We study in detail certain modifications of the local models for G=R_{E/F}GL(n), with E/F a totally ramified extension, and for a maximal parahoric level subgroup. The special fibers of these models are subschemes of the affine Grassmannian. We show that the new lo…
We give some methods for computing equations for certain Shimura curves, natural maps between them, and special points on them. We then illustrate these methods by working out several examples in varying degrees of detail. For instance, we compute coordinates for all the rational CM points on the curves "X(1)" associated with the quaternion algebras over Q ramified at {2,3}, {2,5}, {2,7}, and {3,5}. We conclude with a list of open questions that may point the way to further computational investigation of these curves.
Let f:X-->Y be a semi-stable family of complex abelian varieties over a curve Y of genus q, and smooth over the complement of s points. If F(1,0) denotes the non-flat (1,0) part of the corresponding variation of Hodge structures, the Arakelov inequalities say that 2deg(F(1,0)) is bounded from above by g=rank(F(1,0))(2q-2+s). We show that for s>0 families reaching this bound are isogenous to the g-fold product of a modular family of elliptic curves, and a constant abelian variety. For s=0, if the flat part of the VHS is defined over the rational numbers, the family is isogeneous to the g-fold p…
Local models are schemes, defined in terms of linear-algebraic moduli problems, which give étale-local neighborhoods of integral models of certain p-adic PEL Shimura varieties defined by Rapoport and Zink. In the case of a unitary similitude group whose localization at Q_p is ramified, quasi-split GU_n, Pappas has observed that the original local models are typically not flat, and he and Rapoport have introduced new conditions to the original moduli problem which they conjecture to yield a flat scheme. In a previous paper we proved that their new local models are topologically flat when n is o…
We describe the structure of the supersingular locus of a Shimura variety for a quaternionic unitary similitude group of degree $2$ over a ramified odd prime $p$ if the level at $p$ is given by a special maximal compact open subgroup. More precisely, we show that such a locus has purely $2$-dimensional, and every irreducible component is birational to the Fermat surface. Furthermore, we have an estimation of the numbers of connected and irreducible components. To prove these assertions, we completely determine the structure of the underlying reduced scheme of the Rapoport--Zink space for the q…
We determine the Shimura modular curve X_0(3) and the Jacobian of the Shimura modular curve X_1(3) associated with the congruence subgroups Gamma_0(3), Gamma_1(3) of the (2,3,7) triangle group. This group is known to be arithmetic and associated with a quaternion algebra A/K ramified at two of the three real places of K=Q(\cos 2π/7) and at no finite primes of K. Since the rational prime 3 is inert in K, the covering X_0(3)/X(1) has degree 28 and Galois group PSL_2(F_27). We determine X_0(3) by computing this cover. We find that X_0(3) is an elliptic curve of conductor 147=3*7^2 over Q, as is t…
We consider the local model of a Shimura variety of PEL type, with the unitary similitudes corresponding to a ramified quadratic extension of $\mathbb{Q}_p$ as defining group. We examine the cases where the level structure at $p$ is given by a parahoric that is the stabilizer of a selfdual periodic lattice chain and that is special in the sense of Bruhat--Tits theory. We prove that in these cases the special fiber of the local model is irreducible and generically reduced; consequently, the special fiber is reduced and is normal, Frobenius split, and with only rational singularities. In additio…
