S. Kondō used periods of $K3$ surfaces to prove that the moduli space of genus three curves is birational to an arithmetic quotient of a complex 6-ball. In this paper we study Heegner divisors in the ball quotient, given by arithmetically defined hyperplane sections of the ball. We show that the corresponding loci of genus three curves are given by: hyperelliptic curves, singular plane quartics and plane quartics admitting certain rational "splitting curves".
We show that the cone of primitive Heegner divisors is finitely generated for many orthogonal Shimura varieties, including the moduli space of polarized K3-surfaces. The proof relies on the growth of coefficients of modular forms.
Reflection walls of certain primitive vectors in the anti-invariant sublattice of the K3 lattice define Heegner divisors in the period space of Enriques surfaces. We show that depending on the norm of these primitive vectors, these Heegner divisors are either irreducible or have two irreducible components. The two components are obtained as the walls orthogonal to primitive vectors of the same norm but of different type as ordinary or characteristic.
In the present paper we find explicit formulas for the degrees of Heegner divisors on arithmetic quotients of the orthogonal group $\Orth(2,p)$ and for the integrals of certain automorphic Green's functions associated with Heegner divisors. The latter quantities are important in the study of the arithmetic degrees of Heegner divisors in the context of Arakelov geometry. In particular, we obtain a different proof and a generalization of results of Kudla relating these quantities to the Fourier coefficients of certain non-holomorphic Eisenstein series of weight $1+p/2$ for the metaplectic group …
We prove an abstract modularity result for classes of Heegner divisors in the generalized Jacobian of a modular curve associated to a cuspidal modulus. Extending the Gross-Kohnen-Zagier theorem, we prove that the generating series of these classes is a weakly holomorphic modular form of weight 3/2. Moreover, we show that any harmonic Maass forms of weight 0 defines a functional on the generalized Jacobian. Combining these results, we obtain a unifying framework and new proofs for the Gross-Kohnen-Zagier theorem and Zagier's modularity of traces of singular moduli, together with new geometric i…
Recent works, mostly related to Ramanujan's mock theta functions, make use of the fact that harmonic weak Maass forms can be combinatorial generating functions. Generalizing works of Waldspurger, Kohnen and Zagier, we prove that such forms also serve as "generating functions" for central values and derivatives of quadratic twists of weight 2 modular $L$-functions. To obtain these results, we construct differentials of the third kind with twisted Heegner divisor by suitably generalizing the Borcherds lift to harmonic weak Maass forms. The connection with periods, Fourier coefficients, derivativ…
We give another solution to the class number one problem by showing that imaginary quadratic fields $\Q(\sqrt{-d})$ with class number $h(-d)=1$ correspond to integral points on a genus two curve $\mscrK_3$. In fact one can find all rational points on $\mscrK_3$. The curve $\mscrK_3$ arises naturally via certain coverings of curves:\ $\mscrK_3\rg\mscrK_6$,\ $\mscrK_1\rg\mscrK_2$\ with $\mscrK_2\colon y^2=2x(x^3-1)$ denoting the Heegner curve, also in connection with the so-called Heegner-Stark covering $\mscrK_1\rg\mscrK_s$.
Darmon points on p-adic tori and Jacobians of Shimura curves over Q were introduced in previous joint works with Rotger as generalizations of Darmon's Stark-Heegner points. In this article we study the algebraicity over extensions of a real quadratic field K of the projections of Darmon points to elliptic curves. More precisely, we prove that linear combinations of Darmon points on elliptic curves weighted by certain genus characters of K are rational over the predicted genus fields of K. This extends to an arbitrary quaternionic setting the main theorem on the rationality of Stark-Heegner poi…
The moduli space for polarized hyperkähler manifolds of $\mathrm{K3}^{[m]}$-type or $\mathrm{Kum}_m$-type with a given polarization type is not necessarily connected, which is a phenomenon that only happens for $m$ large. The period map restricted to each connected component gives an open embedding into the period domain, and the complement of the image is a finite union of Heegner divisors. We give a simplified formula for the number of connected components, as well as a simplified criterion to enumerate the Heegner divisors in the complement. In particular, we show that the image of the peri…
Some divisor class relations are proved and used to compute the Cartier divisor class of the virtual canonical bundle for genus 0 maps to a smooth target.
We study slope stability of smooth surfaces and its connection with exceptional divisors. We show that a surface containing an exceptional divisor with arithmetic genus at least two is slope unstable for some polarisation. In the converse direction we show that slope stability of surfaces can be tested with divisors, and prove that for surfaces with non-negative Kodaira dimension any destabilising divisor must have negative self-intersection and arithmetic genus at least two. We also prove that a destabilising divisor can never be nef, and as an application give an example of a surface that is…
We show that the locus of stable rank four vector bundles without theta divisor over a smooth projective curve of genus two is in canonical bijection with the set of theta-characteristics. We give several descriptions of these bundles and compute the degree of the rational theta map.
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 calculate the cycle class of the Hurwitz divisor $D_2$ on the moduli space of stable curves of genus $g=2k$ given by the degree $k+1$ covers of the projective line with simple ramification points, two of which lie in the same fibre. We also study some aspects of the geometry of the natural map of the Hurwitz space of admissible covers of degree $k+1$ and genus $2k$ to the moduli space of stable curves of genus $2k$.
We study the Albanese image of a compact Kähler manifold whose geometric genus is one. We prove that if the Albanese map is not surjective, then the manifold maps surjectively onto an ample divisor in some abelian variety, and in many cases the ample divisor is a theta divisor. With a further natural assumption on the topology of the manifold, we prove that the manifold is an algebraic fiber space over a genus two curve. Finally we apply these results to study the geometry of a compact Kähler manifold which has the same Hodge numbers as those of an abelian variety of the same dimension.
The Gieseker-Petri locus GP_g is defined as the locus inside M_g consisting of curves which violate the Gieseker-Petri Theorem. It is known that GP_g has always some divisorial components and it has been conjectured that it is of pure codimension 1 inside M_g. We prove that this holds true for genus up to 13.
We provide methods to construct explicit examples of $K3$ surfaces. This leads to unirational constructions of Noether--Lefschetz divisors inside the moduli space of $K3$ surfaces of genus $g$. We implement Mukai's unirationality construction of the moduli spaces of $K3$ surfaces of genus $g\in\{6,\dots, 10, 12\}$, and we also present a new constructive proof of the unirationality of the moduli space of $K3$ surfaces of genus $11$. Furthermore, we show the existence of three unirational hypersurfaces in any moduli space of $K3$ surfaces of genus $g$.
In this paper we investigate generalized theta divisors $Θ_r$ in the moduli spaces $\mathcal{U}_C(r,r)$ of semistable vector bundles on a curve $C$ of genus $2$. We provide a desingularization $Φ$ of $Θ_r$ in terms of a projective bundle $π:\mathbb{P}(\mathcal{V})\to\mathcal{U}_C(r-1,r)$ which parametrizes extensions of stable vector bundles on the base by $\mathcal{O}_C$. Then, we study the composition of $Φ$ with the well known theta map $θ$. We prove that, when it is restricted to the general fiber of $π$, we obtain a linear embedding.
The moduli space M_2 of rank four semistable symplectic vector bundles over a curve X of genus two is an irreducible projective variety of dimension ten. Its Picard group is generated by the determinantal line bundle Ξ. The base locus of the linear system |Ξ| consists of precisely those bundles without theta divisors, that is, admitting nonzero maps from every line bundle of degree -1 = 1-g over X. We show that this base locus consists of six distinct points, which are in canonical bijection with the Weierstrass points of the curve. We relate our construction of these bundles to another of Ray…
A generic strictly semistable bundle of degree zero over a curve X has a reducible theta divisor, given by the sum of the theta divisors of the stable summands of the associated graded bundle. The converse is not true: Beauville and Raynaud have each constructed stable bundles with reducible theta divisors. For X of genus at least 5, we construct stable vector bundles over X of rank $r$ for all $r \geq 5$, with reducible and nonreduced theta divisors. We also adapt the construction to symplectic bundles. In the appendix, Raynaud's original example of a stable rank 2 vector bundle with reducibl…
In this paper we show that semistable vector bundles on a Castelnuovo curve of genus g >= 2 have theta divisors. As a corollary, we deduce that semistable vector bundles on a smooth, general curve of genus g >= 2 which extend to semistable vector bundles on any Castelnuovo degeneration of the general curve admit a theta divisor.
We prove that if $m \ge n-3$ then every $S_m$-invariant F-nef divisor on the moduli space of stable $n$-pointed curves of genus zero is linearly equivalent to an effective combination of boundary divisors. As an application, we determine the Mori cone of the moduli spaces of stable curves of small genus with few marked points.
Let X_n := \bar M_{0,n}, the moduli space of n-pointed stable genus zero curves, and let X_{n,m} be the quotient of X_n by the action of the symmetric group S_{n-m} on the last n-m marked points. The cones of effective divisors of X_{n,m}, m = 0,1,2, are calculated. Using this, upper bounds for the cones Mov(X_{n,m}) generated by divisors with moving linear systems are calculated, m = 0,1, along with the induced bounds on the cones of ample divisors of \bar M_g and \bar M_{g,1}. As an application, the cone of effective divisors of \bar M_{2,1} is analyzed in detail.
We prove two statements on the slopes of effective divisors on the moduli space of stable curves of genus g: first that the Harris-Morrison Slope Conjecture fails for g=10 and second, that in order to compute the slope of the moduli space of curves for g\leq 23, one only has to consider the coefficients of the Hodge class and that of the boundary divisor δ_0 in the expansion of the relevant divisors. We conjecture that the same statement holds in arbitrary genus.
Raynaud has shown that over a general curve of genus $g \ge 2$, every semistable bundle of rank three and integral slope admits a theta divisor. We show that this can fail for special curves: Over any bielliptic curve of genus $g \ge 5$, we construct a stable rank three bundle of trivial determinant with no theta divisor. This gives a partial answer to a question of Beauville.
Let C be a curve of genus g, and let SU(r) be the moduli space of vector bundles of rank r on C, with trivial determinant. A general E in SU(r) defines a theta divisor in the linear system |r Theta|, where Theta is the canonical theta divisor in Pic^{g-1}(C). This defines a rational map SU(r) - - > |r Theta|, which is the map associated to the determinant bundle on SU(r) (the positive generator of Pic(SU(r)). In this paper we prove that in genus 2 this map is generically finite and dominant. The same method, together with some classical work of Morin, shows that in rank 3 and genus 3 the theta…
We describe the final log canonical model of the moduli space of stable curves of genus four. We prove that the rational map from $\bar{M}_4$ to this model contracts the Petri and the boundary divisors and flips the hyperelliptic locus. As an application, we find an exact bound on slopes of moving divisors on $\bar{M}_4$.
The Welschinger invariants of real rational algebraic surfaces count real rational curves which represent a given divisor class and pass through a generic conjugation-invariant configuration of points. No invariants counting real curves of positive genera are known in general. We indicate particular situations, when Welschinger-type invariants counting real curves of positive genera can be defined. We also prove the positivity and give asymptotic estimates for such Weischinger-type invariants for several del Pezzo surfaces of degree $\ge2$ and suitable real nef and big divisor classes. In part…
Stable quotient spaces provide an alternative to stable maps for compactifying spaces of maps. When the target is projective space and the domain curve has genus 1, these are smooth proper Deligne-Mumford stacks. In this paper we study the associated coarse moduli schemes. We show these schemes are projective, rationally connected and have Picard number 2. Then we give generators for the Picard group, compute the canonical divisor, and the cones of ample and effective divisors. In certain cases, we also give a closed formula for the Poincaré polynomial.
We study the asymptotics of the Weil-Petersson volumes of the moduli spaces of compact Riemann surfaces of genus $g$ with $n$ punctures, for fixed $n$ as $g \to \infty$.
We prove that genus zero Gromov--Witten invariants of a smooth scheme relative to a smooth divisor coincide with genus zero orbifold Gromov--Witten invariants of an appropriate root stack construction along the divisor.
We study the Hodge structure of elliptic surfaces which are canonically defined from bielliptic curves of genus three. We prove that the period map for the second cohomology has one dimensional fibers, and the period map for the total cohomology is of degree twelve, and moreover, by adding the information of the Hodge structure of the canonical divisor, we prove a generic Torelli theorem for these elliptic surfaces. Finally, we give explicit examples of the pair of non-isomorphic elliptic surfaces which have the same Hodge structure on themselves and the same Hodge structure on their canonical…
We construct an infinite number of Shimura curves contained in the locus of hyperelliptic Jacobians of genus 3. In the opposite direction, we show that in genus 3 the only possible non-complete (in the moduli space of abelian threefolds) Kuga curves contained in the hyperelliptic locus have the same degeneration data as that of the examples we construct. The locus of genus 3 hyperelliptic Jacobians is a divisor within the moduli space of principally polarized abelian threefolds, and our result demonstrates the techniques we develop more generally for dealing with Shimura curves contained withi…
The moduli space $\M_{g,n}$ of $n-$pointed stable curves of genus $g$ is stratified by the topological type of the curves being parametrized: the closure of the locus of curves with $k$ nodes has codimension $k$. The one dimensional components of this stratification are smooth rational curves (whose numerical equivalence classes are) called F-curves. The F-conjecture asserts that a divisor on $\M_{g,n}$ is ample if and only if it positively intersects the $F-$curves. In this paper the F-conjecture on $\M_{g,n}$ is reduced to showing that certain divisors in $\M_{0,N}$ for $N \leq g+n$ are equi…
Let M_g be the moduli space of smooth curves of genus g >= 3, and \bar{M}_g the Deligne-Mumford compactification in terms of stable curves. Let \bar{M}_g^{[1]} be an open set of \bar{M}_g consisting of stable curves of genus g with one node at most. In this paper, we determine the necessary and sufficient condition to guarantee that a Q-divisor D on \bar{M}_g is nef over \bar{M}_g^{[1]}, that is, (D . C) >= 0 for all irreducible curves C on \bar{M}_g with C \cap \bar{M}_g^{[1]} \not= \emptyset.
A set of multi-homogeneous equations for the Jacobian of a genus two curve is given. The approach used is to write down affine equations for the Jacobian minus various tranlations of the Theta-divisor by [2]-division points, and then to write down affine glue equations for the overlaps. Taking multi-projective completions for all of these then yields a complete multi-projective two-dimensional variety whose points are in one-to-one correspondence with degree zero divisor classes on the curve (i.e. the Picard group). This multi-projective variety then becomes a complete projective two-dimension…
The classical De Jonquieres and MacDonald formulas describe the virtual number of divisors with prescribed multiplicities in a linear system on an algebraic curve. We establish an essentially optimal result concerning the enumerative validity of these formulas in the case of a general curve of genus g.
We prove that there exist exactly eight Siegel modular forms with respect to the congruence subgroups of Hecke type of the paramodular groups of genus two vanishing precisely along the diagonal of the Siegel upper half-plane. This is a solution of a question formulated during the conference "Black holes, Black Rings and Modular Forms" (ENS, Paris, August 2007). These modular forms generalize the classical Igusa form and the forms constructed by Gritsenko and Nikulin in 1998.
We complete Mori's program with symmetric divisors for the moduli space of stable six pointed rational curves. As an application, we give an alternative proof of the complete Mori's program of the moduli space of genus two stable curves, done by Hassett.
Buchstaber and Mikhailov introduced the polynomial dynamical systems in $\mathbb{C}^4$ with two polynomial integrals on the basis of commuting vector fields on the symmetric square of hyperelliptic curves. In our previous paper, we constructed the field of meromorphic functions on the sigma divisor of hyperelliptic curves of genus 3 and solutions of the systems for $g=3$ by these functions. In this paper, as an application of our previous results, we construct two parametric deformation of the KdV-hierarchy. This new system is integrated in the meromorphic functions on the sigma divisor of hyp…
We present an efficient endomorphism for the Jacobian of a curve $C$ of genus 2 (hyperelliptic) for divisors having a Non disjoint support. This extends the work of Costello and Lauter in [12] who calculated explicit formulae for divisor doubling and addition of divisors with disjoint support in $\mathbb{J}(C)$ using only base field operations. Explicit formulae is presented for this third case and a slightly different approach for divisor doubling.
For a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g$, a divisor in general position of degree $g+1$ is given by polynomial equations. There is an action from an algebraic group on the representations of divisors by polynomials which fixes divisor classes. This structure reduces the question of rationality of divisor classes to rationality of polynomials which is more easy to control.
The Maroni stratification on the Hurwitz space of degree $d$ covers of genus $g$ has a stratum that is a divisor only if $d-1$ divides $g$. Here we construct a stratification on the Hurwitz space that is analogous to the Maroni stratification, but has a divisor for all pairs $(d,g)$ with $d \leq g$ with a few exceptions and we calculate the divisor class of an extension of these divisors to the compactified Hurwitz space.
The field of meromorphic functions on a sigma divisor of a hyperelliptic curve of genus $3$ is described in terms of the gradient of it's sigma function. Solutions of corresponding families of polynomial dynamical systems in $\mathbb{C}^4$ with two polynomial integrals are constructed as an application. These systems were introduced in the work of V. M. Buchstaber and A. V. Mikhailov on the basis of commuting vector fields on the symmetric square of algebraic curves.
We obtain a formula for the degrees of the varieties parameterizing complex algebraic curves of any divisor class and genus on P^2_6, the projective plane blown-up at 6 generic points. Moreover, the formula computes the degrees of the varieties parameterizing curves on P^2_6 which additionally satisfy certain tangency conditions to a fixed exceptional divisor on P^2_6. Our formula contains as special cases the degrees of the analogous varieties parameterizing curves on P^2_q, for q=1,...,5, and on the quadric (P^1)^2. It is an extension of the Caporaso-Harris formula counting curves of any deg…
In this paper, we completely work out the log minimal model program for the moduli space of stable curves of genus three. We employ a rational multiple $αδ$ of the divisor $δ$ of singular curves as the boundary divisor, construct the log canonical model for the pair $(\bar{\mathcal M}_3, αδ)$ using geometric invariant theory as we vary $α$ from one to zero, and give a modular interpretation of each log canonical model and the birational maps between them. By using the modular description, we are able to identify all but one log canonical models with existing compactifications of $M_3$, some ne…
We introduce the notion of semibreak divisors on metric graphs (tropical curves) and prove that every effective divisor class (of degree at most the genus) has a semibreak divisor representative. This appropriately generalizes the notion of break divisors (in degree equal to genus). Our method of proof is new, even for the special case of break divisors. We provide an algorithm to efficiently compute such semibreak representatives. Semibreak divisors provide the tool to establish some basic properties of effective loci inside Picard groups of metric graphs. We prove that effective loci are pur…
We determine the cycle classes of effective divisors in the compactified Hurwitz spaces of curves of genus g with a linear system of degree d that extend the Maroni divisors on the open Hurwitz space. Our approach uses Chern classes associated to a global-to-local evaluation map of a vector bundle over a generic $P^1$-bundle over the Hurwitz space.
In the moduli space $\mathcal{R}_g$ of double étale covers of curves of a fixed genus $g$, the locus of covers of curves with a semicanonical pencil decomposes as the union of two divisors $\mathcal{T}^e_g$ and $\mathcal{T}^o_g$. Adapting arguments of Teixidor for the divisor of curves having a semicanonical pencil, we prove that both divisors are irreducible and compute their divisor classes in the Deligne-Mumford compactification $\overline{\mathcal{R}}_g$.
Let C be a curve of genus g and L a line bundle of degree 2g on C . Let M be the kernel of the evaluation map from the trivial bundle with fibre H^0(C,L) into L . We show that when L is general enough, the rank g bundle M and its exterior powers are stable and admit a reducible theta divisor.
We study the pencils of minimal degree on the smooth curves lying on a K3 surface X which carries a fixed-point free involution. Generically, the gonality of these curves is totally governed by the genus 1 fibrations of X
Given a collection of boundary divisors in the moduli space of stable genus-zero n-pointed curves, Giansiracusa proved that their intersection is nonempty if and only if all pairwise intersections are nonempty. We give a complete classification of the pairs (g,n) for which the analogous statement holds in the moduli space of n-pointed curves of genus g.
By the technique of 3-fold Mori theory, we prove that the moduli space whose general point parameterizes a couple of a smooth curve of genus 4 and a halfcanonical divisor with vanishing global section is rational.
