Noncommutative Batalin–Vilkovisky geometry and matrix integrals

I study the new type of supersymmetric matrix models associated with any solution to the quantum master equation of the noncommutative Batalin–Vilkovisky geometry. The asymptotic expansion of the matrix integrals gives homology classes in the Kontsevich compactification of the moduli spaces, which I associated with the solutions to the quantum master equation in my previous paper. I associate with the Bernstein–Leites matrix superalgebra equipped with an odd differentiation, whose square is nonzero, the family of cohomology classes of the compactification. This family is the generating function for the products of the tautological classes. The simplest example of my matrix integrals in the case of dimension zero is a supersymmetric extension of the Kontsevich model of 2-dimensional gravity.     

Injective resolutions of BG and derived moduli spaces of local systems

It was suggested on several occasions by Deligne, Drinfeld and Kontsevich that all the moduli spaces arising in the classical problems of deformation theory should be extended to natural “derived” moduli spaces which are always smooth in an appropriate sense and whose tangent spaces involve the entire cohomology of the sheaf of infinitesimal automorphisms, not just H¹. In this note we give an algebraic construction of such an extension for the simplest class of moduli spaces, namely for moduli of local systems (representations of the fundamental group).     

Topological recursion for Gaussian means and cohomological field theories

We introduce explicit relations between genus-filtrated s-loop means of the Gaussian matrix model and terms of the genus expansion of the Kontsevich–Penner matrix model (KPMM), which is the generating function for volumes of discretized (open) moduli spaces M _g,s ^disc (discrete volumes). Using these relations, we express Gaussian means in all orders of the genus expansion as polynomials in special times weighted by ancestor invariants of an underlying cohomological field theory. We translate the topological recursion of the Gaussian model into recurrence relations for the coefficients of this expansion, which allows proving that they are integers and positive. We find the coefficients in the first subleading order for M _g,1 for all g in three ways: using the refined Harer–Zagier recursion, using the Givental-type decomposition of the KPMM, and counting diagrams explicitly.     

An algebro-geometric proof of Witten's conjecture

We present a new proof of Witten's conjecture. The proof is based on the analysis of the relationship between intersection indices on moduli spaces of complex curves and Hurwitz numbers enumerating ramified coverings of the -sphere.

     

Recursion Between Mumford Volumes of Moduli Spaces

We propose a new proof, as well as a generalization of Mirzakhani??s recursion for volumes of moduli spaces. We interpret those recursion relations in terms of expectation values in Kontsevich??s integral, i.e., we relate them to a ribbon graph decomposition of Riemann surfaces. We find a generalization of Mirzakhani??s recursions to measures containing all higher Mumford??s ?? classes, and not only ??₁ as in the Weil?CPetersson case.     

Moduli of sheaves,Fourier–Mukai transform,and partial desingularization

We study birational maps among (1) the moduli space of semistable sheaves of Hilbert polynomial \(4m+2\) on a smooth quadric surface, (2) the moduli space of semistable sheaves of Hilbert polynomial \(m^{2}+3m+2\) on \(\mathbb {P}^{3}\), (3) Kontsevich’s moduli space of genus-zero stable maps of degree 2 to the Grassmannian Gr(2, 4). A regular birational morphism from (1) to (2) is described in terms of Fourier–Mukai transforms. The map from (3) to (2) is Kirwan’s partial desingularization. We also investigate several geometric properties of 1) by using the variation of moduli spaces of stable pairs.     

Quantum differential systems and construction of rational structures

We consider mirror symmetry (A-side vs B-side, namely singularity side) in the framework of quantum differential systems. We focuse on the logarithmic non-resonant case, which describes the geometric situation and we show that such systems provide a good framework in order to generalize the construction of the rational structure given by Katzarkov, Kontsevich and Pantev for the complex projective space. As an application, we give a closed formula for the rational structure defined by the Lefschetz thimbles on the flat sections of the Gauss-Manin connection associated with the Landau–Ginzburg models of weighted projective spaces (a class of Laurent polynomials). As a by-product, using a mirror theorem, we get a rational structure on the orbifold cohomology of weighted projective spaces. The formula on the B-side is more complicated than the one on the A-side (the latter agrees with one of Iritani’s results), depending on numerous combinatorial data which are rearranged after the mirror transformation.     

Simplicity of Lyapunov spectra: proof of the Zorich-Kontsevich conjecture

We prove the Zorich–Kontsevich conjecture that the non-trivial Lyapunov exponents of the Teichmüller ow on (any connected component of a stratum of) the moduli space of Abelian differentials on compact Riemann surfaces are all distinct. By previous work of Zorich and Kontsevich, this implies the existence of the complete asymptotic Lagrangian flag describing the behavior in homology of the vertical foliation in a typical translation surface. Work carried out within the Brazil–France Agreement in Mathematics. Avila is a Clay Research Fellow. Viana is partially supported by Pronex and Faperj.     

Counting bitangents with stable maps

This paper is an elementary introduction to the theory of moduli spaces of curves and maps. As an application to enumerative geometry, we show how to count the number of bitangent lines to a projective plane curve of degree d by doing intersection theory on moduli spaces.     

Hurwitz theory and the double ramification cycle

This survey grew out of notes accompanying a cycle of lectures at the workshop Modern Trends in Gromov–Witten Theory, in Hannover. The lectures are devoted to interactions between Hurwitz theory and Gromov–Witten theory, with a particular eye to the contributions made to the understanding of the Double Ramification Cycle, a cycle in the moduli space of curves that compactifies the double Hurwitz locus. We explore the algebro-combinatorial properties of single and double Hurwitz numbers, and the connections with intersection theoretic problems on appropriate moduli spaces. We survey several results by many groups of people on the subject, but, perhaps more importantly, collect a number of conjectures and problems which are still open.     

M-theory of matrix models

Small M-theories incorporate various models representing a unified family in the same way that the M-theory incorporates a variety of superstring models. We consider this idea applied to the family of eigenvalue matrix models: their M-theory unifies various branches of the Hermitian matrix model (including the Dijkgraaf-Vafa partition functions) with the Kontsevich τ-function. Moreover, the corresponding duality relations are reminiscent of instanton and meron decompositions, familiar from the Yang-Mills theory. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 150, No. 2, pp. 179–192, February, 2007.     

The geometry of the moduli space of one-dimensional sheaves

Let Md be the moduli space of stable sheaves on P2with Hilbert polynomial dm+1.In this paper,we determine the effective and the nef cone of the space Md by natural geometric divisors.Main idea is to use the wall-crossing on the space of Bridgeland stability conditions and to compute the intersection numbers of divisors with curves by using the Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch theorem.We also present the stable base locus decomposition of the space M6.As a byproduct,we obtain the Betti numbers of the moduli spaces,which confirm the prediction in physics.     

Group-valued equivariant localization

We prove a localization formula for group-valued equivariant de Rham cohomology of a compact G-manifold. This formula is a non-trivial generalization of the localization formula of Berline-Vergne and Atiyah-Bott for the usual equivariant de Rham cohomology. We derive from this result a Duistermaat-Heckman formula for group valued moment maps. As an application, we prove part of Witten’s conjectures about intersection pairings on moduli spaces of flat connections on 2-manifolds. Oblatum 24-VI-1999 & 29-X-1999?Published online: 21 February 2000     

Left and right centers in quasi-Poisson geometry of moduli spaces

We introduce left central and right central functions and left and right leaves in quasi-Poisson geometry, generalizing central (or Casimir) functions and symplectic leaves from Poisson geometry. They lead to a new type of (quasi-)Poisson reduction, which is both simpler and more general than known quasi-Hamiltonian reductions. We study these notions in detail for moduli spaces of flat connections on surfaces, where the quasi-Poisson structure is given by an intersection pairing on homology.     

The index of Floer moduli problems for parametrized action functionals

We define an index for the critical points of parametrized Hamiltonian action functionals. The expected dimension of moduli spaces of parametrized Floer trajectories equals the difference of indices of the asymptotes.     

Moduli spaces of weighted pointed stable curves

A weighted pointed curve consists of a nodal curve and a sequence of marked smooth points, each assigned a number between zero and one. A subset of the marked points may coincide if the sum of the corresponding weights is no greater than one. We construct moduli spaces for these objects using methods of the log minimal model program, and describe the induced birational morphisms between moduli spaces as the weights are varied. In the genus zero case, we explain the connection to Geometric Invariant Theory quotients of points in the projective line, and to compactifications of moduli spaces studied by Kapranov, Keel, and Losev-Manin.     

Unifying derived deformation theories

We develop a framework for derived deformation theory, valid in all characteristics. This gives a model category reconciling local and global approaches to derived moduli theory. In characteristic 0, we use this to show that the homotopy categories of DGLAs and SHLAs (L_∞-algebras) considered by Kontsevich, Hinich and Manetti are equivalent, and are compatible with the derived stacks of Toën-Vezzosi and Lurie. Another application is that the cohomology groups associated to any classical deformation problem (in any characteristic) admit the same operations as André-Quillen cohomology.     

Flag Hilbert schemes and moduli spaces of torsion plane sheaves

We find certain relations between flag Hilbert schemes of points on plane curves and moduli spaces of one-dimensional plane sheaves. We show that some of these moduli spaces are stably rational.     

Moduli Spaces of Higher Spin Curves and Integrable Hierarchies

We prove the genus zero part of the generalized Witten conjecture, relating moduli spaces of higher 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 singularity A _r–1. 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.