Hodge Bundle Research Articles

K-canonical divisors through Brill-Noether special points

Inside the projectivized $k$-th Hodge bundle, we construct a collection of divisors obtained by imposing vanishing at a Brill-Noether special point. We compute the classes of the closures of such divisors in two ways, using incidence geometry and restrictions to various families, including pencils of curves on K3 surfaces and pencils of Du Val curves. We also show the extremality and rigidity of the closure of the incidence divisor consisting of smooth pointed curves together with a canonical or 2-canonical divisor passing through the marked point.

Nonvarying, affine and extremal geometry of strata of differentials

AbstractWe prove that the nonvarying strata of abelian and quadratic differentials in low genus have trivial tautological rings and are affine varieties. We also prove that strata of k-differentials of infinite area are affine varieties for all k. Vanishing of homology in degree higher than the complex dimension follows as a consequence for these affine strata. Moreover we prove that the stratification of the Hodge bundle for abelian and quadratic differentials of finite area is extremal in the sense that merging two zeros in each stratum leads to an extremal effective divisor in the boundary. A common feature throughout these results is a relation of divisor classes in strata of differentials as well as its incarnation in Teichmüller dynamics.

Effective divisors on projectivized Hodge bundles and modular Forms

AbstractWe construct vector‐valued modular forms on moduli spaces of curves and abelian varieties using effective divisors in projectivized Hodge bundles over moduli of curves. Cycle relations tell us the weight of these modular forms. In particular, we construct basic modular forms for genus 2 and 3. We also discuss modular forms on the moduli of hyperelliptic curves. In that case, the relative canonical bundle is a pull back of a line bundle on a ‐bundle over the moduli of hyperelliptic curves and we extend that line bundle to a compactification so that its push down is (close to) the Hodge bundle and use this to construct modular forms. In the Appendix, we use our method to calculate divisor classes in the dual projectivized k‐Hodge bundle determined by Gheorghita–Tarasca and by Korotkin–Sauvaget–Zograf.

Saturated Orbit Closures in the Hodge Bundle

Abstract We give a new proof of the classification of $\operatorname {GL}^{+}(2,{\mathbb {R}})$-orbit closures that are saturated for the absolute period foliation of the Hodge bundle. As a consequence, we obtain a short proof of the classification of closures of leaves of the absolute period foliation of the Hodge bundle. Our approach is based on a method for classifying $\operatorname {GL}^{+}(2,{\mathbb {R}})$-orbit closures using deformations of flat pairs of pants.

Masur–Veech volumes and intersection theory: The principal strata of quadratic differentials

We describe a conjectural formula via intersection numbers for the Masur–Veech volumes of strata of quadratic differentials with prescribed zero orders, and we prove the formula for the case when the zero orders are odd. For the principal strata of quadratic differentials with simple zeros, the formula reduces to computing the top Segre class of the quadratic Hodge bundle, which can be further simplified to certain linear Hodge integrals. An appendix proves that the intersection of this class with ψ-classes can be computed by Eynard–Orantin topological recursion. As applications, we analyze numerical properties of Masur–Veech volumes, area Siegel–Veech constants, and sums of Lyapunov exponents of the principal strata for fixed genus and varying number of zeros, which settles the corresponding conjectures due to Grivaux and Hubert, Fougeron, and elaborated in Andersen et al. We also describe conjectural formulas for area Siegel–Veech constants and sums of Lyapunov exponents for arbitrary affine invariant submanifolds, and verify them for the principal strata.

Incidence varieties in the projectivized kth Hodge bundle over curves with rational tails

Over the moduli space of pointed smooth algebraic curves, the projectivized [Formula: see text]th Hodge bundle is the space of [Formula: see text]-canonical divisors. The incidence loci are defined by requiring the [Formula: see text]-canonical divisors to have prescribed multiplicities at the marked points. We compute the classes of the closure of the incidence loci in the projectivized [Formula: see text]th Hodge bundle over the moduli space of curves with rational tails. The classes are expressed as a linear combination of tautological classes indexed by decorated stable graphs with coefficients enumerating appropriate weightings. As a consequence, we obtain an explicit expression for some relations in tautological rings of moduli of curves with rational tails.

Arakelov–Milnor inequalities and maximal variations of Hodge structure

In this paper we study the $\mathbb {C}^*$-fixed points in moduli spaces of Higgs bundles over a compact Riemann surface for a complex semisimple Lie group and its real forms. These fixed points are called Hodge bundles and correspond to complex variations of Hodge structure. We introduce a topological invariant for Hodge bundles that generalizes the Toledo invariant appearing for Hermitian Lie groups. An important result of this paper is a bound on this invariant which generalizes the Milnor–Wood inequality for a Hodge bundle in the Hermitian case, and is analogous to the Arakelov inequalities of classical variations of Hodge structure. When the generalized Toledo invariant is maximal, we establish rigidity results for the associated variations of Hodge structure which generalize known rigidity results for maximal Higgs bundles and their associated maximal representations in the Hermitian case.

The Hodge bundle, the universal 0-section, and the log Chow ring of the moduli space of curves

We bound from below the complexity of the top Chern class $\lambda _g$ of the Hodge bundle in the Chow ring of the moduli space of curves: no formulas for $\lambda _g$ in terms of classes of degrees 1 and 2 can exist. As a consequence of the Torelli map, the 0-section over the second Voronoi compactification of the moduli of principally polarized abelian varieties also cannot be expressed in terms of classes of degree 1 and 2. Along the way, we establish new cases of Pixton's conjecture for tautological relations. In the log Chow ring of the moduli space of curves, however, we prove $\lambda _g$ lies in the subalgebra generated by logarithmic boundary divisors. The proof is effective and uses Pixton's double ramification cycle formula together with a foundational study of the tautological ring defined by a normal crossings divisor. The results open the door to the search for simpler formulas for $\lambda _g$ on the moduli of curves after log blow-ups.

A transfer principle: from periods to isoperiodic foliations

We classify the possible closures of leaves of the isoperiodic foliation defined on the Hodge bundle over the moduli space of genus $$g\ge 2$$ curves and prove that the foliation is ergodic on those sets. The results derive from the connectedness properties of the fibers of the period map defined on the Torelli cover of the moduli space. Some consequences on the topology of Hurwitz spaces of primitive branched coverings over elliptic curves are also obtained. To prove the results we develop the theory of augmented Torelli space, the branched Torelli cover of the Deligne–Mumford compactification of the moduli space of curves.

Equidistribution of Hodge loci II

Let $\mathbb {V}$ be a polarized variation of Hodge structure over a smooth complex quasi-projective variety $S$. In this paper, we give a complete description of the typical Hodge locus for such variations. We prove that it is either empty or equidistributed with respect to a natural differential form, the pull–push form. In particular, it is always analytically dense when the pull–push form does not vanish. When the weight is two, the Hodge numbers are $(q,p,q)$ and the dimension of $S$ is least $rq$, we prove that the typical locus where the Picard rank is at least $r$ is equidistributed in $S$ with respect to the volume form $c_q^r$, where $c_q$ is the $q$th Chern form of the Hodge bundle. We obtain also several equidistribution results of the typical locus in Shimura varieties: a criterion for the density of the typical Hodge loci of a variety in $\mathcal {A}_g$, equidistribution of certain families of CM points and equidistribution of Hecke translates of curves and surfaces in $\mathcal {A}_g$. These results are proved in the much broader context of dynamics on homogeneous spaces of Lie groups which are of independent interest. The pull–push form appears in this greater generality, we provide several tools to determine it, and we compute it in many examples.

Absolute Hodge and ℓ-adic monodromy

Let $\mathbb {V}$ be a motivic variation of Hodge structure on a $K$-variety $S$, let $\mathcal {H}$ be the associated $K$-algebraic Hodge bundle, and let $\sigma \in \mathrm {Aut}(\mathbb {C}/K)$ be an automorphism. The absolute Hodge conjecture predicts that given a Hodge vector $v \in \mathcal {H}_{\mathbb {C}, s}$ above $s \in S(\mathbb {C})$ which lies inside $\mathbb {V}_{s}$, the conjugate vector $v_{\sigma } \in \mathcal {H}_{\mathbb {C}, s_{\sigma }}$ is Hodge and lies inside $\mathbb {V}_{s_{\sigma }}$. We study this problem in the situation where we have an algebraic subvariety $Z \subset S_{\mathbb {C}}$ containing $s$ whose algebraic monodromy group $\textbf {H}_{Z}$ fixes $v$. Using relationships between $\textbf {H}_{Z}$ and $\textbf {H}_{Z_{\sigma }}$ coming from the theories of complex and $\ell$-adic local systems, we establish a criterion that implies the absolute Hodge conjecture for $v$ subject to a group-theoretic condition on $\textbf {H}_{Z}$. We then use our criterion to establish new cases of the absolute Hodge conjecture.

Behaviour of some Hodge invariants by middle convolution

Following an article of Dettweiler and Sabbah, this article studies the behaviour of various Hodge invariants by middle additive convolution with a Kummer module. The main result gives the behaviour of the nearby cycle local Hodge numerical data at infinity. We also give expressions for Hodge numbers and degrees of some Hodge bundles without making the hypothesis of scalar monodromy at infinity, which generalizes the resultsof Dettweiler and Sabbah.

Algébricité modulo $p$, séries hypergéométriques et structures de Frobenius fortes

Following an article of Dettweiler and Sabbah, this article studies the behaviour of various Hodge invariants by middle additive convolution with a Kummer module. The main result gives the behaviour of the nearby cycle local Hodge numerical data at infinity. We also give expressions for Hodge numbers and degrees of some Hodge bundles without making the hypothesis of scalar monodromy at infinity, which generalizes the resultsof Dettweiler and Sabbah.

Boundary expression for Chern classes of the Hodge bundle on spaces of cyclic covers

We compute an explicit formula for the first Chern class of the Hodge Bundle over the space of admissible cyclic $\mathbb{Z}/3\mathbb{Z}$ covers of $n$-pointed rational stable curves as a linear combination of boundary strata. We then apply this formula to give a recursive formula for calculating certain Hodge integrals containing $\lambda_1$. We also consider covers with a ${\mathbb{Z}}/{2\mathbb{Z}}$ action for which we compute $\lambda_2$ as a linear combination of codimension two boundary strata.

On fibrations approaching the Arakelov equality

The sum of Lyapunov exponents L_f of a semi-stable fibration is the ratio of the degree of the Hodge bundle by the Euler characteristic of the base. This ratio is bounded from above by the Arakelov inequality. Sheng-Li Tan showed that for fiber genus gge 2 the Arakelov equality is never attained. We investigate whether there are sequences of fibrations approaching asymptotically the Arakelov bound. The answer turns out to be no, if the fibration is smooth, or non-hyperelliptic, or has a small base genus. Moreover, we construct examples of semi-stable fibrations showing that Teichmüller curves are not attaining the maximal possible value of L_f.

Positivity of Hodge bundles of abelian varieties over some function fields

The main result of this paper concerns the positivity of the Hodge bundles of abelian varieties over global function fields. As applications, we obtain some partial results on the Tate–Shafarevich group and the Tate conjecture of surfaces over finite fields.

Positivity of vector bundles and Hodge theory

Differential geometry, especially the use of curvature, plays a central role in modern Hodge theory. The vector bundles that occur in the theory (Hodge bundles) have metrics given by the polarizations of the Hodge structures, and the sign and singularity properties of the resulting curvatures have far reaching implications in the geometry of families of algebraic varieties. A special property of the curvatures is that they are [Formula: see text] order invariants expressed in terms of the norms of algebro-geometric bundle mappings. This partly expository paper will explain some of the positivity and singularity properties of the curvature invariants that arise in the Hodge theory with special emphasis on the norm property.

Fujita decomposition on families of abelian varieties

Let F:{mathcal {V}}rightarrow B be a smooth non-isotrivial 1-dimensional family of complex polarized abelian varieties and V_b=F^{-1}(b) be the general fiber. Let {mathcal {F}}^1subset R^1F_*{mathbb {C}} be the associated Hodge bundle filtration, {mathcal {F}}^1_b=H^{1.0}(V_b). Under the assumption that the Fujita decomposition for {mathcal {F}}^1 is non trivial, that is there is a non trivial flat sub-bundle 0ne {mathbb {U}}subset {mathcal {F}}^1, we show that V_b has non-trivial endomorphism: End(V_b)ne {mathbb {Z}}.

Lifting Chern classes by means of Ekedahl–Oort strata

The moduli space of principally polarized abelian varieties $A_g$ of genus g is defined over the integers and admits a minimal compactification $A_g^*$, also defined over the integers. The Hodge bundle over $A_g$ has its Chern classes in the Chow ring of $A_g$ with rational coefficients. We show that over the prime field $F_p$, these Chern classes naturally lift to $A_g^*$ and do so in the best possible way: despite the highly singular nature of $A_g^*$ they are represented by algebraic cycles on $A_g^*\otimes F_p$ which define elements in its bivariant Chow ring. This is in contrast to the situation in the analytic topology, where these Chern classes have canonical lifts to the complex cohomology of the minimal compactification as Goresky-Pardon classes, which are known to define nontrivial Tate extensions inside the mixed Hodge structure on this cohomology.

Quadratic double ramification integrals and the noncommutative KdV hierarchy

In this paper we compute the intersection number of two double ramification cycles (with different ramification profiles) and the top Chern class of the Hodge bundle on the moduli space of stable curves of any genus. These quadratic double ramification integrals are the main ingredient for the computation of the double ramification hierarchy associated to the infinite dimensional partial cohomological field theory given by $\exp(\mu^2 \Theta)$ where $\mu$ is a parameter and $\Theta$ is Hain's theta class, appearing in Hain's formula for the double ramification cycle on the moduli space of curves of compact type. This infinite rank double ramification hierarchy can be seen as a rank $1$ integrable system in two space and one time dimensions. We prove that it coincides with a natural analogue of the KdV hierarchy on a noncommutative Moyal torus.