arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Anne Larsen.
We describe the mapping class group action on the cohomology of the twisted $\mathrm{SL}_n$-character variety of a surface $\Sigma_g$ of genus $g$. Our main tool is a relative version of the endoscopic decomposition of Maulik-Shen; this allows us to reduce the problem to the mapping class group action on the cohomology of a canonical finite cover of $\Sigma_g$, which was studied by Looijenga.
We study the universal PGL_n character variety over M_g whose fiber over a point [C] is the space of PGL_n-local systems on the curve C. We use nonabelian Hodge theory and properties of Saito's mixed Hodge modules to show that the Leray-Serre spectral sequence for the projection to M_g degenerates at E_2. As an application, we prove that the rational cohomology of these varieties stabilizes as g goes to infinity and compute the stable limit. We also deduce similar results for the universal G-character variety over M_{g,1} whose fiber over a punctured curve is the variety of G-local systems with fixed central monodromy around the puncture, for G = GL_n or SL_n. The paper concludes with a computation of the ring structure on the stable cohomology and with an appendix by Anne Larsen and Mirko Mauri proving related results for the intersection cohomology of singular universal character varieties.
Using Langer's construction of Bridgeland stability conditions on normal surfaces, we prove Reider-type theorems generalizing the work done by Arcara-Bertram in the smooth case. Our results still hold in positive characteristic or when $\omega_X \otimes L$ is not necessarily a line bundle. They also hold when the dualizing sheaf is replaced by a variant arising from the theory of Du Bois complexes. For complex surfaces with at most rational double point singularities, we recover the optimal bounds for global generation and very ampleness as predicted by Fujita's conjecture.
In a recent paper, Merca posed three conjectures on congruences for specific convolutions of a sum of odd divisor functions with a generating function for generalized $m$-gonal numbers. Extending Merca's work, we complete the proof of these conjectures.
A natural variant of Lehmer's conjecture that the Ramanujan $\tau$-function never vanishes asks whether, for any given integer $\alpha$, there exist any $n \in \mathbb{Z}^+$ such that $\tau(n) = \alpha$. A series of recent papers excludes many integers as possible values of the $\tau$-function using the theory of primitive divisors of Lucas numbers, computations of integer points on curves, and congruences for $\tau(n)$. We synthesize these results and methods to prove that if $0 < |\alpha| < 100$ and $\alpha \notin T := \{2^k, -24,-48, -70,-90, 92, -96\}$, then $\tau(n) \neq \alpha$ for all $n > 1$. Moreover, if $\alpha \in T$ and $\tau(n) = \alpha$, then $n$ is square-free with prescribed prime factorization. Finally, we show that a strong form of the Atkin-Serre conjecture implies that $|\tau(n)| > 100$ for all $n > 2$.
A classical observation of Deligne shows that, for any prime $p \geq 5$, the divisor polynomial of the Eisenstein series $E_{p-1}(z)$ mod $p$ is closely related to the supersingular polynomial at $p$, $$S_p(x) := \prod_{E/\bar{\mathbb{F}}_p \text{ supersingular}}(x-j(E)) \in \mathbb{F}_p[x].$$ Deuring, Hasse, and Kaneko and Zagier found other families of modular forms which also give the supersingular polynomial at $p$. In a new approach, we prove an analogue of Deligne's result for the Hecke trace forms $T_k(z)$ defined by the Hecke action on the space of cusp forms $S_k$. We use the Eichler-Selberg trace formula to identify congruences between trace forms of different weights mod $p$, and then relate their divisor polynomials to $S_p(x)$ using Deligne's observation.
We classify rational triangles which unfold to Veech surfaces when the largest angle is at least $\frac{3\pi}{4}$. When the largest angle is greater than $\frac{2\pi}{3}$, we show that the unfolding is not Veech except possibly if it belongs to one of six infinite families. Our methods include a criterion of Mirzakhani and Wright that built on work of M\"oller and McMullen, and in most cases show that the orbit closure of the unfolding cannot have rank 1.