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Tyler J. Jarvis

Publications and source records attributed to Tyler J. Jarvis.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Stringy K-theory and the Chern character

For a finite group G acting on a smooth projective variety X, we construct two new G-equivariant rings: first the stringy K-theory of X, and second the stringy cohomology of X. For a smooth Deligne-Mumford stack Y we also construct a new ring called the full orbifold K-theory of Y. For a global quotient Y=[X/G], the ring of G-invariants of the stringy K-theory of X is a subalgebra of the full orbifold K-theory of the the stack Y and is linearly isomorphic to the ``orbifold K-theory'' of Adem-Ruan (and hence Atiyah-Segal), but carries a different, ``quantum,'' product, which respects the natural group grading. We prove there is a ring isomorphism, the stringy Chern character, from stringy K-theory to stringy cohomology, and a ring homomorphism from full orbifold K-theory to Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology. These Chern characters satisfy Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch for etale maps. We prove that stringy cohomology is isomorphic to Fantechi and Goettsche's construction. Since our constructions do not use complex curves, stable maps, admissible covers, or moduli spaces, our results simplify the definitions of Fantechi-Goettsche's ring, of Chen-Ruan's orbifold cohomology, and of Abramovich-Graber-Vistoli's orbifold Chow. We conclude by showing that a K-theoretic version of Ruan's Hyper-Kaehler Resolution Conjecture holds for symmetric products. Our results hold both in the algebro-geometric category and in the topological category for equivariant almost complex manifolds.

math.AG↗

Pointed Admissible G-Covers and G-equivariant Cohomological Field Theories

For any finite group G we define the moduli space of pointed admissible G-covers and the concept of a G-equivariant cohomological field theory (G-CohFT), which, when G is the trivial group, reduce to the moduli space of stable curves and a cohomological field theory (CohFT), respectively. We prove that by taking the "quotient" by G, a G-CohFT reduces to a CohFT. We also prove that a G-CohFT contains a G-Frobenius algebra, a G-equivariant generalization of a Frobenius algebra, and that the "quotient" by G agrees with the obvious Frobenius algebra structure on the space of G-invariants, after rescaling the metric. We also introduce the moduli space of G-stable maps into a smooth, projective variety X with G action. Gromov-Witten-like invariants of these spaces provide the primary source of examples of G-CohFTs. Finally, we explain how these constructions generalize (and unify) the Chen-Ruan orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of the global quotient [X/G] as well as the ring H*(X,G) of Fantechi and Goettsche.

math.AG↗

Orbifold quantum cohomology of the classifying space of a finite group

We work through, in detail, the orbifold quantum cohomology, with gravitational descendants, of the stack BG, the point modulo trivial action of a finite group G. We provide a simple description of algebraic structures on the state space of this theory. As a consequence, we find that multiple copies of commuting Virasoro algebras appear in this theory which completely determine the correlators of the theory.

math.AG↗

Moduli of twisted spin curves

In this note we give a new, natural construction of a compactification of the stack of smooth r-spin curves, which we call the stack of stable twisted $r$-spin curves. This stack is identified with a special case of a stack of twisted stable maps of Abramovich and Vistoli. Realizations in terms of admissible G_m-spaces and Q-line bundles are given as well. The infinitesimal structure of this stack is described in a relatively straightforward manner, similar to that of usual stable curves. We construct representable morphisms from the stacks of stable twisted r-spin curves to the stacks of stable r-spin curves, and show that they are isomorphisms. Many delicate features of r-spin curves, including torsion free sheaves with power maps, arise as simple by-products of twisted spin curves. Various constructions, such as the d bar-operator of Seeley and Singer and Witten's cohomology class go through without complications in the setting of twisted spin curves.

math.AG↗

Stable Spin Maps, Gromov-Witten Invariants, and Quantum Cohomology

We introduce the stack of r-spin maps. These are stable maps into a variety V from n-pointed algebraic curves of genus g, with the additional data of an r-spin structure on the curve. We prove that this stack is a Deligne-Mumford stack, and we define analogs of the Gromov-Witten classes associated to these spaces. We show that these classes yield a cohomological field theory (CohFT) that is the tensor product of the CohFT associated to the usual Gromov-Witten invariants of V and the r-spin CohFT. When r=2, our construction gives the usual Gromov-Witten invariants of V. Restricting to genus zero, we obtain the notion of an r-spin quantum cohomology of V, whose Frobenius structure is isomorphic to the tensor product of the Frobenius manifolds corresponding to the quantum cohomology of V and the r-th Gelfand-Dickey hierarchy (or, equivalently, the A_{r-1} singularity). We also prove a generalization of the descent property which, in particular, explains the appearance of the psi-classes in the definition of gravitational descendants. Finally, we compute the small phase space potential function when r=3 and V=CP^1.

math.AG↗

Gravitational Descendants and the Moduli Space of Higher Spin Curves

The purpose of this note is introduce a new axiom (called the Descent Axiom) in the theory of $r$-spin cohomological field theories. This axiom explains the origin of gravitational descendants in this theory. Furthermore, the Descent Axiom immediately implies the Vanishing Axiom, explicating the latter (which has no a priori analog in the theory of Gromov-Witten invariants), in terms of the multiplicativity of the virtual class. We prove that the Descent Axiom holds in the convex case, and consequently in genus zero.

math.AG↗

Moduli Spaces of Higher Spin Curves and Integrable Hierarchies

We prove the genus zero part of the generalized Witten conjecture relating moduli spaces of spin curves to Gelfand-Dickey hierarchies. That is, we show that intersection numbers on the moduli space of stable r-spin curves assemble into a generating function which yields a solution of the semiclassical limit of the KdV_r equations. We formulate axioms for a cohomology class on this moduli space which allow one to construct a cohomological field theory of rank $r-1$ in all genera. In genus zero it produces a Frobenius manifold which is isomorphic to the Frobenius manifold structure on the base of the versal deformation of the A_{r-1} singularity. We prove analogs of the puncture, dilaton, and topological recursion relations by drawing an analogy with the construction of Gromov-Witten invariants and quantum cohomology.

math.AG↗

Tensor products of Frobenius manifolds and moduli spaces of higher spin curves

We review progress on the generalized Witten conjecture and some of its major ingredients. This conjecture states that certain intersection numbers on the moduli space of higher spin curves assemble into the logarithm of the tau function of a semiclassical limit of the r-th Gelfand-Dickey (or KdV_r) hierarchy. Additionally, we prove that tensor products of the Frobenius manifolds associated to such hierarchies admit a geometric interpretation in terms of moduli spaces of higher spin structures. We also elaborate upon the analogy to Gromov-Witten invariants of a smooth, projective variety.

math.AG↗

The Picard Group of the Moduli of Higher Spin Curves

This article treats the Picard group of the moduli (stack) of r-spin curves and its compactification. Generalized spin curves, or r-spin curves are a natural generalization of 2-spin curves (algebraic curves with a theta-characteristic), and have been of interest lately because they are the subject of a remarkable conjecture of E. Witten, and because of the similarities between the intersection theory of these moduli spaces and that of the moduli of stable maps. We generalize results of Cornalba, giving relations between many of the elements of the Picard group of the stacks. These relations are important in the proof of the genus-zero case of Witten's conjecture given in math.AG/9905034. We use these relations to show that when 2 or 3 divides r, then the Picard group of the open stack has non-zero torsion. And finally, we work out some specific examples for small values of g and r.

math.AG↗

Geometry of the moduli of higher spin curves

This article treats various aspects of the geometry of the moduli of r-spin curves and its compactification. Generalized spin curves, or r-spin curves, are a natural generalization of 2-spin curves (algebraic curves with a theta-characteristic), and have been of interest lately because of the similarities between the intersection theory of these moduli spaces and that of the moduli of stable maps. In particular, these spaces are the subject of a remarkable conjecture of E. Witten relating their intersection theory to the Gelfand-Dikii (rth KdV) heirarchy. There is also a W-algebra conjecture for these spaces, analogous to the Virasoro conjecture of quantum cohomology. We construct a smooth compactification of the stack of smooth r-spin curves, describe the geometric meaning of its points, and prove that it is projective. We also prove that when r is odd and g>1, the compactified stack of spin curves and its coarse moduli space are irreducible, and when r is even and g>1, the stack is the disjoint union of two irreducible components. We give similar results for n-pointed spin curves, as required for Witten's conjecture, and also generalize to the n-pointed case the classical fact that when g=1, the moduli of r-spin curves is the disjoint union of d(r) components, where d(r) is the number of positive divisors of r. These irreducibility properties are important in the study of the Picard group of the stack, and also in the study of the cohomological field theory related to Witten's conjecture (see math.AG/9905034).

math.AG↗

Torsion-Free Sheaves and Moduli of Generalized Spin Curves

This article treats compactifications of the space of generalized spin curves. Generalized spin curves, or $r$-spin curves, are pairs $(X,L)$ with $X$ a smooth curve and $L$ a line bundle whose r-th tensor power is isomorphic to the canonical bundle of $X.$ These are a natural generalization of $2$-spin curves (algebraic curves with a theta-characteristic), which have been of interest recently, in part because of their applications to fermionic string theory. Three different compactifications over $\Bbb{Z}[1/r],$ all using torsion-free sheaves, are constructed. All three yield algebraic stacks, one of which is shown to have Gorenstein singularities that can be described explicitly, and one of which is smooth. All three compactifications generalize constructions of Deligne and Cornalba done for the case when $r=2.$

alg-geom↗