A brief survey on singularities of geodesic flows in smooth signature changing metrics on 2-surfaces

We present a survey on generic singularities of geodesic flows in smooth signature changing metrics (often called pseudo-Riemannian) in dimension 2. Generically, a pseudo-Riemannian metric on a 2-manifold $S$ changes its signature (degenerates) along a curve $S_0$, which locally separates $S$ into a Riemannian ($R$) and a Lorentzian ($L$) domain. The geodesic flow does not have singularities over $R$ and $L$, and for any point $q \in R \cup L$ and every tangential direction $p$ there exists a unique geodesic passing through the point $q$ with the direction $p$. On the contrary, geodesics cannot pass through a point $q \in S_0$ in arbitrary tangential directions, but only in some admissible directions; the number of admissible directions is 1 or 2 or 3. We study this phenomenon and the local properties of geodesics near $q \in S_0$.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figure

Uniruledness of orthogonal modular varieties

A strongly reflective modular form with respect to an orthogonal group of signature (2,n) determines a Lorentzian Kac--Moody algebra. We find a new geometric application of such modular forms: we prove that if the weight is larger than n then the corresponding modular variety is uniruled. We also construct new reflective modular forms and thus provide new examples of uniruled moduli spaces of lattice polarised K3 surfaces. Finally we prove that the moduli space of Kummer surfaces associated to (1,21)-polarised abelian surfaces is uniruled.Comment: 14 page

The Modular Form of the Barth-Nieto Quintic

Barth and Nieto have found a remarkable quintic threefold which parametrizes Heisenberg invariant Kummer surfaces which belong to abelian surfaces with a (1,3)-polarization and a lecel 2 structure. A double cover of this quintic, which is also a Calabi-Yau variety, is birationally equivalent to the moduli space {\cal A}_3(2) of abelian surfaces with a (1,3)-polarization and a level 2 structure. As a consequence the corresponding paramodular group \Gamma_3(2) has a unique cusp form of weight 3. In this paper we find this cusp form which is \Delta_1^3. The form \Delta_1 is a remarkable weight 1 cusp form with a character with respect to the paramodular group \Gamma_3. It has several interesting properties. One is that it admits an infinite product representation, the other is that it vanishes of order 1 along the diagonal in Siegel space. In fact \Delta_1 is an element of a short series of modular forms with this last property. Using the fact that \Delta_1 is a weight 3 cusp form with respect to the group \Gamma_3(2) we give an independent construction of a smooth projective Calabi-Yau model of the moduli space {\cal A}_3(2).Comment: 20 pages, Latex2e RIMS Preprint 120

Algebraic classification of spacetimes using discriminating scalar curvature invariants

The Weyl and Ricci tensors can be algebraically classified in a Lorentzian spacetime of arbitrary dimensions using alignment theory. Used in tandem with the boost weight decomposition and curvature operators, the algebraic classification of the Weyl tensor and the Ricci tensor in higher dimensions can then be refined utilizing their eigenbivector and eigenvalue structure, respectively. In particular, for a tensor of a particular algebraic type, the associated operator will have a restricted eigenvector structure, and this can then be used to determine necessary conditions for a particular algebraic type. We shall present an analysis of the discriminants of the associated characteristic equation for the eigenvalues of an operator to determine the conditions on (the associated) curvature tensor for a given algebraic type. We will describe an algorithm which enables us to completely determine the eigenvalue structure of the curvature operator, up to degeneracies, in terms of a set of discriminants. We then express these conditions (discriminants) in terms of these polynomial curvature invariants. In particular, we can use the techniques described to study the necessary conditions in arbitrary dimensions for the Weyl and Ricci curvature operators (and hence the higher dimensional Weyl and Ricci tensors) to be of algebraic type II or D, and create syzygies which are necessary for the special algebraic type to be fulfilled. We are consequently able to determine the necessary conditions in terms of simple scalar polynomial curvature invariants in order for the higher dimensional Weyl and Ricci tensors to be of type II or D. We explicitly determine the scalar polynomial curvature invariants for a Weyl or Ricci tensor to be of type II or D in 5D. A number of simple examples are presented and, in particular, we present a detailed analysis of the important example of a 5D rotating black ring.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figur

The Igusa modular forms and ``the simplest'' Lorentzian Kac--Moody algebras

We find automorphic corrections for the Lorentzian Kac--Moody algebras with the simplest generalized Cartan matrices of rank 3: A_{1,0} = 2 0 -1 0 2 -2 -1 -2 2 and A_{1,I} = 2 -2 -1 -2 2 -1 -1 -1 2 For A_{1,0} this correction is given by the Igusa Sp_4(Z)-modular form \chi_{35} of weight 35, and for A_{1,I} by a Siege modular form of weight 30 with respect to a 2-congruence subgroup. We find infinite product or sum expansions for these forms. Our method of construction of \chi_{35} leads to the direct construction of Siegel modular forms by infinite product expansions, whose divisors are the Humbert surfaces with fixed discriminants. Existence of these forms was proved by van der Geer in 1982 using some geometrical consideration. We announce a list of all hyperbolic symmetric generalized Cartan matrices A of rank 3 such that A has elliptic or parabolic type, A has a lattice Weyl vector, and A contains the affine submatrix \tilde{A}_1.Comment: 40 pages, no figures. AMS-Te

A construction of antisymmetric modular forms for Weil representations

We give coefficient formulas for antisymmetric vector-valued cusp forms with rational Fourier coefficients for the Weil representation associated to a finite quadratic module. The forms we construct always span all cusp forms in weight at least three. These formulas are useful for computing explicitly with theta lifts.Comment: Substantial organizational changes based on reviewer's suggestions. Previously titled "Computing antisymmetric modular forms and theta lifts". 14 page

K3 surfaces with involution, equivariant analytic torsion, and automorphic forms on the moduli space IV: the structure of invariant

A holomorphic torsion invariant of K3 surfaces with involution was introduced by the second-named author. In this paper, we completely determine its structure as an automorphic function on the moduli space of such K3 surfaces. On every component of the moduli space, it is expressed as the product of an explicit Borcherds lift and a classical Siegel modular form. We also introduce its twisted version. We prove its modularity and a certain uniqueness of the modular form corresponding to the twisted holomorphic torsion invariant. This is used to study an equivariant analogue of Borcherds' conjecture.Comment: Section 11 adde

On the Genus of the Moonshine Module

We provide a novel and simple description of Schellekens' seventy-one affine Kac-Moody structures of self-dual vertex operator algebras of central charge 24 by utilizing cyclic subgroups of the glue codes of the Niemeier lattices with roots. We also discuss a possible uniform construction procedure of the self-dual vertex operator algebras of central charge 24 starting from the Leech lattice. This also allows us to consider the uniqueness question for all non-trivial affine Kac-Moody structures. We finally discuss our description from a Lorentzian viewpoint.Comment: 28 pages, 17 table

A generalized Kac-Moody algebra of rank 14

We construct a vertex algebra of central charge 26 from a lattice orbifold vertex operator algebra of central charge 12. The BRST-cohomology group of this vertex algebra is a new generalized Kac-Moody algebra of rank 14. We determine its root space multiplicities and a set of simple roots.Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 3 Tables. Published version. Revision contains some more detail