Lattice Polarized K3 Surfaces and Siegel Modular Forms

The goal of the present paper is two-fold. First, we present a classification of algebraic K3 surfaces polarized by the lattice H+E_8+E_7. Key ingredients for this classification are: a normal form for these lattice polarized K3 surfaces, a coarse moduli space and an explicit description of the inverse period map in terms of Siegel modular forms. Second, we give explicit formulas for a Hodge correspondence that relates these K3 surfaces to principally polarized abelian surfaces. The Hodge correspondence in question underlies a geometric two-isogeny of K3 surfaces

Normal forms for Kummer surfaces

We determine normal forms for the Kummer surfaces associated with abelian surfaces of polarization of type $(1,1)$, $(1,2)$, $(2,2)$, $(2,4)$, and $(1,4)$. Explicit formulas for coordinates and moduli parameters in terms of Theta functions of genus two are also given. The normal forms in question are closely connected to the generalized Riemann identities for Theta functions of Mumford's.Comment: 49 page

Modular Invariants for Lattice Polarized K3 Surfaces

We study the class of complex algebraic K3 surfaces admitting an embedding of H+E8+E8 inside the Neron-Severi lattice. These special K3 surfaces are classified by a pair of modular invariants, in the same manner that elliptic curves over the field of complex numbers are classified by the J-invariant. Via the canonical Shioda-Inose structure we construct a geometric correspondence relating K3 surfaces of the above type with abelian surfaces realized as cartesian products of two elliptic curves. We then use this correspondence to determine explicit formulas for the modular invariants.Comment: 29 pages, LaTe

The Sen Limit

F-theory compactifications on elliptic Calabi-Yau manifolds may be related to IIb compactifications by taking a certain limit in complex structure moduli space, introduced by A. Sen. The limit has been characterized on the basis of SL(2,Z) monodromies of the elliptic fibration. Instead, we introduce a stable version of the Sen limit. In this picture the elliptic Calabi-Yau splits into two pieces, a P^1-bundle and a conic bundle, and the intersection yields the IIb space-time. We get a precise match between F-theory and perturbative type IIb. The correspondence is holographic, in the sense that physical quantities seemingly spread in the bulk of the F-theory Calabi-Yau may be rewritten as expressions on the log boundary. Smoothing the F-theory Calabi-Yau corresponds to summing up the D(-1)-instanton corrections to the IIb theory.Comment: 41 pp, 1 figure, LaTe

Six line configurations and string dualities

We study the family of K3 surfaces of Picard rank sixteen associated with the double cover of the projective plane branched along the union of six lines, and the family of its Van Geemen-Sarti partners, i.e., K3 surfaces with special Nikulin involutions, such that quotienting by the involution and blowing up recovers the former. We prove that the family of Van Geemen-Sarti partners is a four-parameter family of K3 surfaces with $H \oplus E_7(-1) \oplus E_7(-1)$ lattice polarization. We describe explicit Weierstrass models on both families using even modular forms on the bounded symmetric domain of type $IV$. We also show that our construction provides a geometric interpretation, called geometric two-isogeny, for the F-theory/heterotic string duality in eight dimensions. As a result, we obtain novel F-theory models, dual to non-geometric heterotic string compactifications in eight dimensions with two non-vanishing Wilson line parameters.Comment: 42 pages; minor typos corrected in version

Special function identities from superelliptic Kummer varieties

We prove that the factorization of Appell's generalized hypergeometric series satisfying the so-called quadric property into a product of two Gauss' hypergeometric functions has a geometric origin: we first construct a generalized Kummer variety as minimal nonsingular model for a product-quotient surface with only rational double points from a pair of superelliptic curves of genus $2r-1$ with $r \in \mathbb{N}$. We then show that this generalized Kummer variety is equipped with two fibrations with fibers of genus $2r-1$. When periods of a holomorphic two-form over carefully crafted transcendental two-cycles on the generalized Kummer variety are evaluated using either of the two fibrations, the answer must be independent of the fibration and the aforementioned family of special function identities is obtained. This family of identities can be seen as a multivariate generalization of Clausen's Formula. Interestingly, this paper's finding bridges Ernst Kummer's two independent lines of research, algebraic transformations for the Gauss' hypergeometric function and nodal surfaces of degree four in $\mathbb{P}^3$.Comment: 46 pages, 2 figure