Hodge polynomials of the moduli spaces of rank 3 pairs

Let X be a smooth projective curve of genus g ≥ 2 over the complex numbers. A holomorphic triple on X consists of two holomorphic vector bundles E ₁ and E ₂ over X and a holomorphic map . There is a concept of stability for triples which depends on a real parameter σ. In this paper, we determine the Hodge polynomials of the moduli spaces of σ-stable triples with rk(E ₁) = 3, rk(E ₂) = 1, using the theory of mixed Hodge structures. This gives in particular the Poincaré polynomials of these moduli spaces. As a byproduct, we recover the Hodge polynomial of the moduli space of odd degree rank 3 stable vector bundles.