Modular invariants and singularity indices of hyperelliptic fibrations

Abstract

The modular invariants of a family of curves are the degrees of the pullback of the corresponding divisors by the moduli map. The singularity indices were introduced by Xiao (1991) to classify singular fibers of hyperelliptic fibrations and to compute global invariants locally. In semistable case, the author shows that the modular invariants corresponding to the boundary divisor classes are just the singularity indices. As an application, the author shows that the formula of Xiao for relative Chern numbers is the same as that of Cornalba-Harris in semistable case.