arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Aaron Pixton.
We relate Fourier transforms between compactified Jacobians over the moduli space of stable curves to logarithmic Abel-Jacobi theory. As an application, we compute the pushforward of divisor monomials on compactified Jacobians in terms of the twisted double ramification cycle formula.
We determine the quantum multiplication with divisor classes on the Hilbert scheme of points on an elliptic surface $S \to \Sigma$ for all curve classes which are contracted by the induced fibration $S^{[n]} \to \Sigma^{[n]}$. The formula is expressed in terms of explicit operators on Fock space. The structure constants are meromorphic quasi-Jacobi forms of index $0$. Combining with work of Hu-Li-Qin, this determines the quantum multiplication with divisors on the Hilbert scheme of elliptic surfaces with $p_g(S)>0$. We also determine the equivariant quantum multiplication with divisor classes for the Hilbert scheme of points on the product $E \times \mathbb{C}$. The proof of our formula is based on Nesterov's Hilb/PT wall-crossing, a newly established GW/PT correspondence for the product of an elliptic surface times a curve, and new computations in the Gromov-Witten theory of an elliptic curve.
We prove the existence of quasi-Jacobi form solutions for an analogue of the Kaneko--Zagier differential equation for Jacobi forms. The transformation properties of the solutions under the Jacobi group are derived. A special feature of the solutions is the polynomial dependence of the index parameter. The results yield an explicit conjectural description for all double ramification cycle integrals in the Gromov--Witten theory of K3 surfaces.
We describe a generalization of the usual boundary strata classes in the Chow ring of $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}$. The generalized boundary strata classes additively span a subring of the tautological ring. We describe a multiplication law satisfied by these classes and check that every double ramification cycle lies in this subring.
The double ramification cycle satisfies a basic multiplicative relation DRC(a).DRC(b) = DRC(a).DRC(a + b) over the locus of compact-type curves, but this relation fails in the Chow ring of the moduli space of stable curves. We restore this relation over the moduli space of stable curves by introducing an extension of the double ramification cycle to the small b-Chow ring (the colimit of the Chow rings of all smooth blowups of the moduli space). We use this to give evidence for the conjectured equality between the (twisted) double ramification cycle and a cycle constructed in previous work by the second author.
We conjecture that the relative Gromov-Witten potentials of elliptic fibrations are (cycle-valued) lattice quasi-Jacobi forms and satisfy a holomorphic anomaly equation. We prove the conjecture for the rational elliptic surface in all genera and curve classes numerically. The generating series are quasi-Jacobi forms for the lattice $E_8$. We also show the compatibility of the conjecture with the degeneration formula. As Corollary we deduce that the Gromov-Witten potentials of the Schoen Calabi-Yau threefold (relative to $\mathbb{P}^1$) are $E_8 \times E_8$ quasi-bi-Jacobi forms and satisfy a holomorphic anomaly equation. This yields a partial verification of the BCOV holomorphic anomaly equation for Calabi-Yau threefolds. For abelian surfaces the holomorphic anomaly equation is proven numerically in primitive classes. The theory of lattice quasi-Jacobi forms is reviewed. In the Appendix the conjectural holomorphic anomaly equation is expressed as a matrix action on the space of (generalized) cohomological field theories. The compatibility of the matrix action with the Jacobi Lie algebra is proven. Holomorphic anomaly equations for K3 fibrations are discussed in an example.
Let $S$ be a K3 surface and let $E$ be an elliptic curve. We solve the reduced Gromov-Witten theory of the Calabi-Yau threefold $S \times E$ for all curve classes which are primitive in the K3 factor. In particular, we deduce the Igusa cusp form conjecture. The proof relies on new results in the Gromov-Witten theory of elliptic curves and K3 surfaces. We show the generating series of Gromov-Witten classes of an elliptic curve are cycle-valued quasimodular forms and satisfy a holomorphic anomaly equation. The quasimodularity generalizes a result by Okounkov and Pandharipande, and the holomorphic anomaly equation proves a conjecture of Milanov, Ruan and Shen. We further conjecture quasimodularity and holomorphic anomaly equations for the cycle-valued Gromov-Witten theory of every elliptic fibration with section. The conjecture generalizes the holomorphic anomaly equations for ellliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds predicted by Bershadsky, Cecotti, Ooguri, and Vafa. We show a modified conjecture holds numerically for the reduced Gromov-Witten theory of K3 surfaces in primitive classes.
Witten's class on the moduli space of 3-spin curves defines a (non-semisimple) cohomological field theory. After a canonical modification, we construct an associated semisimple CohFT with a non-trivial vanishing property obtained from the homogeneity of Witten's class. Using the classification of semisimple CohFTs by Givental-Teleman, we derive two main results. The first is an explicit formula in the tautological ring of Mbar_{g,n} for Witten's class. The second, using the vanishing property, is the construction of relations in the tautological ring of Mbar_{g,n}. Pixton has previously conjectured a system of tautological relations on Mbar_{g,n} (which extends the established Faber-Zagier relations on M_g). Our 3-spin construction exactly yields Pixton's conjectured relations. As the classification of CohFTs is a topological result depending upon the Madsen-Weiss theorem (Mumford's conjecture), our construction proves relations in cohomology. The study of Witten's class and the associated tautological relations for r-spin curves via a parallel strategy will be taken up in a following paper.
We study some aspects of the $\lambda_g$ pairing on the tautological ring of $M_g^c$, the moduli space of genus $g$ stable curves of compact type. We consider pairing kappa classes with pure boundary strata, all tautological classes supported on the boundary, or the full tautological ring. We prove that the rank of this restricted pairing is equal in the first two cases and has an explicit formula in terms of partitions, while in the last case the rank increases by precisely the rank of the $\lambda_g\lambda_{g - 1}$ pairing on the tautological ring of $M_g$.
We describe a very large class of conjectural relations in the tautological ring of the moduli space $\bar{M}_{g,n}$ of stable curves of genus $g$ with $n$ marked points, extending and generalizing the Faber-Zagier relations. These notes are loosely based on informal talks given by the author at the workshop at KTH Stockholm on "The moduli space of curves and its intersection theory" in April 2012.
We describe a nef divisor $D_P$ on $\bar{M}_{0,12}$ that is not numerically equivalent to an effective sum of boundary divisors.
Brenti and Welker have shown that for any simplicial complex X, the face vectors of successive barycentric subdivisions of X have roots which converge to fixed values depending only on the dimension of X. We improve and generalize this result here. We begin with an alternative proof based on geometric intuition. We then prove an interesting symmetry of these roots about the real number -2. This symmetry can be seen via a nice algebraic realization of barycentric subdivision as a simple map on formal power series in two variables. Finally, we use this algebraic machinery with some geometric motivation to generalize the combinatorial statements to arbitrary subdivision methods: any subdivision method will exhibit similar limit behavior and symmetry. Our techniques allow us to compute explicit formulas for the values of the limit roots in the case of barycentric subdivision.
The Magnus representation of the Torelli subgroup of the mapping class group of a surface is a homomorphism r: I_{g,1} -> GL_{2g}(Z[H]). Here H is the first homology group of the surface. This representation is not faithful; in particular, Suzuki previously described precisely when the commutator of two Dehn twists about separating curves is in the kernel of r. Using the trace of the Magnus representation, we apply a new method of showing that two endomorphisms generate a free group to prove that the images of two positive separating multitwists under the Magnus representation either commute or generate a free group, and we characterize when each case occurs.