On motivic vanishing cycles of critical loci

Let $U$ be a smooth scheme over an algebraically closed field $\mathbb K$ of characteristic zero and $f:U\to{\mathbb A}^1$ a regular function, and write $X=$Crit$(f)$, as a closed subscheme of $U$. The motivic vanishing cycle $MF_{U,f}^\phi$ is an element of the $\hat\mu$-equivariant motivic Grothendieck ring ${\mathcal M}^{\hat\mu}_X$ defined by Denef and Loeser math.AG/0006050 and Looijenga math.AG/0006220, and used in Kontsevich and Soibelman's theory of motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants, arXiv:0811.2435. We prove three main results: (a) $MF_{U,f}^\phi$ depends only on the third-order thickenings $U^{(3)},f^{(3)}$ of $U,f$. (b) If $V$ is another smooth scheme, $g:V\to{\mathbb A}^1$ is regular, $Y=$Crit$(g)$, and $\Phi:U\to V$ is an embedding with $f=g\circ\Phi$ and $\Phi\vert_X:X\to Y$ an isomorphism, then $\Phi\vert_X^*(MF_{V,g}^\phi)$ equals $MF_{U,f}^\phi$ "twisted" by a motive associated to a principal ${\mathbb Z}_2$-bundle defined using $\Phi$, where now we work in a quotient ring $\bar{\mathcal M}^{\hat\mu}_X$ of ${\mathcal M}^{\hat\mu}_X$. (c) If $(X,s)$ is an "oriented algebraic d-critical locus" in the sense of Joyce arXiv:1304.4508, there is a natural motive $MF_{X,s} \in\bar{\mathcal M}^{\hat\mu}_X$, such that if $(X,s)$ is locally modelled on Crit$(f:U\to{\mathbb A}^1)$, then $MF_{X,s}$ is locally modelled on $MF_{U,f}^\phi$. Using results from arXiv:1305.6302, these imply the existence of natural motives on moduli schemes of coherent sheaves on a Calabi-Yau 3-fold equipped with "orientation data", as required in Kontsevich and Soibelman's motivic Donaldson-Thomas theory arXiv:0811.2435, and on intersections of oriented Lagrangians in an algebraic symplectic manifold. This paper is an analogue for motives of results on perverse sheaves of vanishing cycles proved in arXiv:1211.3259. We extend this paper to Artin stacks in arXiv:1312.0090.Comment: 32 pages. (v3) Final version, to appear in the Journal of Algebraic Geometry. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1211.325

Stability conditions on derived categories

My thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part I consider stability conditions on the derived category of complex manifolds without any nontrivial subvarieties. In particular, I construct and classify stability conditions in the case of generic K3 surfaces, generic tori and general deformations of Hilbert schemes of K3 surfaces. The second part is devoted to the analysis of quotient categories. The main theorem of the second part states that the quotient category of the derived category of a surface modulo complexes supported in codimension two has homological dimension one. I apply this to describe the quotient category obtained by modding out Mumford-stable objects of degree zero.</p

Motivic DT-invariants for the one loop quiver with potential

In this paper we compute the motivic Donaldson--Thomas invariants for the quiver with one loop and any potential. As the presence of arbitrary potentials requires the full machinery of \hat(\mu)-equivariant motives, we give a detailed account of them. In particular, we will prove two results for the motivic vanishing cycle which might be of importance not only in Donaldson--Thomas theory.Comment: 30 page

The motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants of (-2) curves

In this paper we calculate the motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants for (-2)-curves arising from 3-fold flopping contractions in the minimal model programme. We translate this geometric situation into the machinery developed by Kontsevich and Soibelman, and using the results and framework developed previously by the authors we describe the monodromy on these invariants. In particular, in contrast to all existing known Donaldson-Thomas invariants for small resolutions of Gorenstein singularities these monodromy actions are nontrivial.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figure