Enumerative Geometry Research Articles

AdS4 holography and the Hilbert scheme

We elucidate a holographic relationship between the enumerative geometry of the Hilbert scheme of N points in the plane ℂ2, with N large, and the entropy of certain magnetically charged black holes with AdS4 asymptotics. Specifically, we demonstrate how the entropy functional arises from the asymptotics of ’t Hooft and Wilson line operators in a 3d N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 gauge theory. The gauge-Bethe correspondence allows us to interpret this calculation in terms of the enumerative geometry of the Hilbert scheme and thereby conjecture that the entropy is saturated by expectation values of certain natural operators in the quantum K-theory ring acting on the localised K-theory of the Hilbert scheme. We give numerical evidence that the large N limit is saturated by contributions from a certain vacuum/fixed point on the Hilbert scheme, associated to a particular triangular-shaped Young diagram, by evolving solutions to the Bethe equations numerically at finite (but large) N towards the classical limit. We thus conjecture a concrete geometric holographic dual of the so-called gravitational/Cardy block.

Toric configuration spaces: the bipermutahedron and beyond

We establish faithful tropicalisation for point configurations on algebraic tori. Building on ideas from enumerative geometry, we introduce tropical scaffolds and use them to construct a system of modular fan structures on the tropical configuration spaces. The corresponding toric varieties provide modular compactifications of the algebraic configuration spaces, with boundary parametrising transverse configurations on tropical expansions. The rubber torus, used to identify equivalent configurations, plays a key role. As an application, we obtain a modular interpretation for the bipermutahedral variety.

Spinor–Vector Duality and Mirror Symmetry

Mirror symmetry was first observed in worldsheet string constructions, and was shown to have profound implications in the Effective Field Theory (EFT) limit of string compactifications, and for the properties of Calabi–Yau manifolds. It opened up a new field in pure mathematics, and was utilised in the area of enumerative geometry. Spinor–Vector Duality (SVD) is an extension of mirror symmetry. This can be readily understood in terms of the moduli of toroidal compactification of the Heterotic String, which includes the metric the antisymmetric tensor field and the Wilson line moduli. In terms of the toroidal moduli, mirror symmetry corresponds to mappings of the internal space moduli, whereas Spinor–Vector Duality corresponds to maps of the Wilson line moduli. In the past few of years, we demonstrated the existence of Spinor–Vector Duality in the effective field theory compactifications of string theories. This was achieved by starting with a worldsheet orbifold construction that exhibited Spinor–Vector Duality and resolving the orbifold singularities, hence generating a smooth, effective field theory limit with an imprint of the Spinor–Vector Duality. Just like mirror symmetry, the Spinor–Vector Duality can be used to study the properties of complex manifolds with vector bundles. Spinor–Vector Duality offers a top-down approach to the “Swampland” program, by exploring the imprint of the symmetries of the ultra-violet complete worldsheet string constructions in the effective field theory limit. The SVD suggests a demarcation line between (2,0) EFTs that possess an ultra-violet complete embedding versus those that do not.

P=W phenomena in algebraic and enumerative geometry

P=W phenomena in algebraic and enumerative geometry

Felix Klein’s early contributions to anschauliche Geometrie

Between 1873 and 1876, Felix Klein published a series of papers that he later placed under the rubric anschauliche Geometrie in the second volume of his collected works (1922). The present study attempts not only to follow the course of this work, but also to place it in a larger historical context. Methodologically, Klein’s approach had roots in Poncelet’s principle of continuity, though the more immediate influences on him came from his teachers, Plücker and Clebsch. In the 1860s, Clebsch reworked some of the central ideas in Riemann’s theory of Abelian functions to obtain complicated results for systems of algebraic curves, most published earlier by Hesse and Steiner. These findings played a major role in enumerative geometry, whereas Plücker’s work had a strongly qualitative character that imbued Klein’s early studies. A leitmotif in these works can be seen in the interplay between real curves and surfaces as reflected by their transformational properties. During the early 1870s, Klein and Zeuthen began to explore the possibility of deriving all possible forms for real cubic surfaces as well as quartic curves. They did so using continuity methods reminiscent of Poncelet’s earlier approach. Both authors also relied on visual arguments, which Klein would later advance under the banner of intuitive geometry (anschauliche Geometrie).

Topological Strings on Non-commutative Resolutions

In this paper we propose a definition of torsion refined Gopakumar–Vafa (GV) invariants for Calabi–Yau threefolds with terminal nodal singularities that do not admit Kähler crepant resolutions. Physically, the refinement takes into account the charge of five-dimensional BPS states under a discrete gauge symmetry in M-theory. We propose a mathematical definition of the invariants in terms of the geometry of all non-Kähler crepant resolutions taken together. The invariants are encoded in the A-model topological string partition functions associated to non-commutative (nc) resolutions of the Calabi–Yau. Our main example will be a singular degeneration of the generic Calabi–Yau double cover of P3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\mathbb {P}}^3$$\\end{document} and leads to an enumerative interpretation of the topological string partition function of a hybrid Landau–Ginzburg model. Our results generalize a recent physical proposal made in the context of torus fibered Calabi–Yau manifolds by one of the authors and clarify the associated enumerative geometry.

Virasoro constraints for moduli of sheaves and vertex algebras

In enumerative geometry, Virasoro constraints were first conjectured in Gromov-Witten theory with many new recent developments in the sheaf theoretic context. In this paper, we rephrase the sheaf theoretic Virasoro constraints in terms of primary states coming from a natural conformal vector in Joyce’s vertex algebra. This shows that Virasoro constraints are preserved under wall-crossing. As an application, we prove the conjectural Virasoro constraints for moduli spaces of torsion-free sheaves on any curve and on surfaces with only (p,p)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$(p,p)$\\end{document} cohomology classes by reducing the statements to the rank 1 case.

Koszul modules with vanishing resonance in algebraic geometry

We discuss various applications of a uniform vanishing result for the graded components of the finite length Koszul module associated to a subspace K⊆⋀2V\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$K\\subseteq \\bigwedge ^2 V$$\\end{document}, where V is a vector space. Previously Koszul modules of finite length have been used to give a proof of Green’s Conjecture on syzygies of generic canonical curves. We now give applications to effective stabilization of cohomology of thickenings of algebraic varieties, divisors on moduli spaces of curves, enumerative geometry of curves on K3 surfaces and to skew-symmetric degeneracy loci. We also show that the instability of sufficiently positive rank 2 vector bundles on curves is governed by resonance and give a splitting criterion.

Gopakumar–Vafa Type Invariants of Holomorphic Symplectic 4-Folds

Using reduced Gromov–Witten theory, we define new invariants which capture the enumerative geometry of curves on holomorphic symplectic 4-folds. The invariants are analogous to the BPS counts of Gopakumar and Vafa for Calabi–Yau 3-folds, Klemm and Pandharipande for Calabi–Yau 4-folds, and Pandharipande and Zinger for Calabi–Yau 5-folds. We conjecture that our invariants are integers and give a sheaf-theoretic interpretation in terms of reduced 4-dimensional Donaldson–Thomas invariants of one-dimensional stable sheaves. We check our conjectures for the product of two K3 surfaces and for the cotangent bundle of P2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\mathbb {P}}^2$$\\end{document}. Modulo the conjectural holomorphic anomaly equation, we compute our invariants also for the Hilbert scheme of two points on a K3 surface. This yields a conjectural formula for the number of isolated genus 2 curves of minimal degree on a very general hyperkähler 4-fold of K3[2]\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$K3^{[2]}$$\\end{document}-type. The formula may be viewed as a 4-dimensional analogue of the classical Yau–Zaslow formula concerning counts of rational curves on K3 surfaces. In the course of our computations, we also derive a new closed formula for the Fujiki constants of the Chern classes of tangent bundles of both Hilbert schemes of points on K3 surfaces and generalized Kummer varieties.

Tropical Methods in Geometry

The workshop Tropical methods in geometry was devoted to a wide discussion and exchange of ideas between the leading experts representing various points of view on the subject including tropical methods in symplectic and Lagrangian geometry, topology of real algebraic varieties and tropical homology, tropical methods in algebraic, Berkovich analytic and log geometries, refined tropical enumerative geometry and enriched counting, and algebraic geometry and matroids.

Boundaries & localisation with a topological twist

We study the partition functions of topologically twisted 3d N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 2 gauge theories on a hemisphere spacetime with boundary HS2 × S1. We show that the partition function may be localised to either the Higgs branch or the Coulomb branch where the contributions to the path integral are vortex or monopole configurations respectively. Turning to N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 supersymmetry, we consider partition functions for exceptional Dirichlet boundary conditions that yield a complete set of ‘IR holomorphic blocks’. We demonstrate that these correspond to vertex functions: equivariant Euler characteristics of quasimap moduli spaces. In this context, we explore the geometric interpretation of both the Higgs and Coulomb branch localisation schemes in terms of the enumerative geometry of quasimaps and discuss the action of mirror symmetry.

Tropical vertex and real enumerative geometry

AbstractWe show that the commutator relations in the refined tropical vertex group can be expressed via the enumeration of suitable real rational curves in toric surfaces.

Hodge-Elliptic Genera, K3 Surfaces and Enumerative Geometry

K3 surfaces play a prominent role in string theory and algebraic geometry. The properties of their enumerative invariants have important consequences in black hole physics and in number theory. To a K3 surface, string theory associates an Elliptic genus, a certain partition function directly related to the theory of Jacobi modular forms. A multiplicative lift of the Elliptic genus produces another modular object, an Igusa cusp form, which is the generating function of BPS invariants of K3×E\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{K3} \ imes E$$\\end{document}. In this note, we will discuss a refinement of this chain of ideas. The Elliptic genus can be generalized to the so-called Hodge-Elliptic genus which is then related to the counting of refined BPS states of K3×E\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{K3} \ imes E$$\\end{document}. We show how such BPS invariants can be computed explicitly in terms of different versions of the Hodge-Elliptic genus, sometimes in closed form, and discuss some generalizations.

Fock–Goncharov dual cluster varieties and Gross–Siebert mirrors

Abstract Cluster varieties come in pairs: for any 𝒳 {\mathcal{X}} cluster variety there is an associated Fock–Goncharov dual 𝒜 {\mathcal{A}} cluster variety. On the other hand, in the context of mirror symmetry, associated with any log Calabi–Yau variety is its mirror dual, which can be constructed using the enumerative geometry of rational curves in the framework of the Gross–Siebert program. In this paper we bridge the theory of cluster varieties with the algebro-geometric framework of Gross–Siebert mirror symmetry. Particularly, we show that the mirror to the 𝒳 {\mathcal{X}} cluster variety is a degeneration of the Fock–Goncharov dual 𝒜 {\mathcal{A}} cluster variety and vice versa. To do this, we investigate how the cluster scattering diagram of Gross, Hacking, Keel and Kontsevich compares with the canonical scattering diagram defined by Gross and Siebert to construct mirror duals in arbitrary dimensions. Consequently, we derive an enumerative interpretation of the cluster scattering diagram. Along the way, we prove the Frobenius structure conjecture for a class of log Calabi–Yau varieties obtained as blow-ups of toric varieties.

Noncommutative instantons in diverse dimensions

AbstractThis is a mini-review about generalized instantons of noncommutative gauge theories in dimensions 4, 6 and 8, with emphasis on their realizations in type II string theory, their geometric interpretations, and their applications to the enumerative geometry of non-compact toric varieties.

The enumerative geometry of cubic hypersurfaces: point and line conditions

The set of smooth cubic hypersurfaces in Pn\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${{\\mathbb {P}}}^n$$\\end{document} is an open subset of a projective space. A compactification of the latter which allows to count the number of smooth cubic hypersurfaces tangent to a prescribed number of lines and passing through a given number of points is termed a 1–complete variety of cubic hypersurfaces, in analogy with the space of complete quadrics. Imitating the work of Aluffi for plane cubic curves, we construct such a space in arbitrary dimensions by a sequence of five blow-ups. The counting problem is then reduced to the computation of five total Chern classes. In the end, we derive the desired numbers in the case of cubic surfaces.

Large deviations of multichordal $\operatorname{SLE}_{0+}$, real rational functions, and zeta-regularized determinants of Laplacians

We prove a strong large deviation principle (LDP) for multiple chordal \operatorname{SLE}_{0+} curves with respect to the Hausdorff metric. In the single-chord case, this result strengthens an earlier partial result by the second author. We also introduce a Loewner potential, which in the smooth case has a simple expression in terms of zeta-regularized determinants of Laplacians. This potential differs from the LDP rate function by an additive constant depending only on the boundary data, which satisfies PDEs arising as a semiclassical limit of the Belavin–Polyakov–Zamolodchikov equations of level 2 in conformal field theory with central charge c \to -\infty . Furthermore, we show that every multichord minimizing the potential in the upper half-plane for given boundary data is the real locus of a rational function and is unique, thus coinciding with the \kappa \to 0+ limit of the multiple \operatorname{SLE}_\kappa . As a by-product, we provide an analytic proof of the Shapiro conjecture in real enumerative geometry, first proved by Eremenko and Gabrielov: if all critical points of a rational function are real, then the function is real up to post-composition with a Möbius transformation.

Enumerative geometry of surfaces and topological strings

This survey covers recent developments on the geometry and physics of Looijenga pairs, namely pairs [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] a complex algebraic surface and [Formula: see text] a singular anticanonical divisor in it. I will describe a surprising web of correspondences linking together several a priori distant classes of enumerative invariants associated to [Formula: see text], including the log Gromov–Witten invariants of the pair, the Gromov–Witten invariants of an associated higher dimensional Calabi–Yau variety, the open Gromov–Witten invariants of certain special Lagrangians in toric Calabi–Yau threefolds, the Donaldson–Thomas theory of a class of symmetric quivers, and certain open and closed BPS-type invariants. I will also discuss how these correspondences can be effectively used to provide a complete closed-form solution to the calculation of all these invariants.

Enumerative Geometry Meets Statistics, Combinatorics, and Topology

Enumerative Geometry Meets Statistics, Combinatorics, and Topology

On the Behrend function and the blowup of some fat points

The Behrend function of a C-scheme X is a constructible function νX:X(C)→Z introduced by Behrend, intrinsic to the scheme structure of X. It is a (subtle) invariant of singularities of X, playing a prominent role in enumerative geometry. To date, only a handful of general properties of the Behrend function are known. In this paper, we compute it for a large class of fat points (schemes supported at a single point). We first observe that, if X↪AN is a fat point, νX is the sum of the multiplicities of the irreducible components of the exceptional divisor EXAN in the blowup BlXAN. Moreover, we prove that νX can be computed explicitly through the normalisation of BlXAN.The proofs of our explicit formulas for the Behrend function of a fat point in A2 rely heavily on toric geometry techniques. Along the way, we find a formula for the number of irreducible components of EXA2, where X↪A2 is a fat point such that BlXA2 is normal.