Linear series on ribbons

A ribbon is a double structure on P^1. The geometry of a ribbon is closely related to that of a smooth curve. In this note we consider linear series on ribbons. Our main result is an explicit determinantal description for the locus W^{r}_{2n} of degree 2n line bundles with at least (r+1)-dimensional sections on a ribbon. We also discuss some results of Clifford and Brill-Noether type

Affine geometry of strata of differentials

Affine varieties among all algebraic varieties have simple structures. For example, an affine variety does not contain any complete algebraic curve. In this paper we study affine related properties of strata of $k$-differentials on smooth curves which parameterize sections of the $k$-th power of the canonical line bundle with prescribed orders of zeros and poles. We show that if there is a prescribed pole of order at least $k$, then the corresponding stratum does not contain any complete curve. Moreover, we explore the amusing question whether affine invariant manifolds arising from Teichm\"uller dynamics are affine varieties, and confirm the answer for Teichm\"uller curves, Hurwitz spaces of torus coverings, hyperelliptic strata as well as some low genus strata

Covers of the projective line and the moduli space of quadratic differentials

Consider the 1-dimensional Hurwitz space parameterizing covers of P^1 branched at four points. We study its intersection with divisor classes on the moduli space of curves. As an application, we calculate the slope of the Teichmuller curve parameterizing square-tiled cyclic covers and recover the sum of its Lyapunov exponents obtained by Forni, Matheus and Zorich. Motivated by the work of Eskin, Kontsevich and Zorich, we exhibit a relation among the slope of Hurwitz spaces, the sum of Lyapunov exponents and the Siegel-Veech constant for the moduli space of quadratic differentials