Tits buildings and K-stability

A polarized variety is K-stable if, for any test configuration, the Donaldson-Futaki invariant is positive. In this paper, inspired by classical geometric invariant theory, we describe the space of test configurations as a limit of a direct system of Tits buildings. We show that the Donaldson-Futaki invariant, conveniently normalized, is a continuous function on this space. We also introduce a pseudo-metric on the space of test configurations. Recall that K-stability can be enhanced by requiring that the Donaldson-Futaki invariant is positive on any admissible filtration of the co-ordinate ring. We show that admissible filtrations give rise to Cauchy sequences of test configurations with respect to the above mentioned pseudo-metric.Comment: 16 pages. To appear on the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Societ

Hyperelliptic Schottky Problem and Stable Modular Forms

It is well known that, fixed an even, unimodular, positive definite quadratic form, one can construct a modular form in each genus; this form is called the theta series associated to the quadratic form. Varying the quadratic form, one obtains the ring of stable modular forms. We show that the differences of theta series associated to specific pairs of quadratic forms vanish on the locus of hyperelliptic Jacobians in each genus. In our examples, the quadratic forms have rank 24, 32 and 48. The proof relies on a geometric result about the boundary of the Satake compactification of the hyperelliptic locus. We also study the monoid formed by the moduli space of all principally polarised abelian varieties, the operation being the product of abelian varieties. We use this construction to show that the ideal of stable modular forms vanishing on the hyperelliptic locus in each genus is generated by differences of theta series.Comment: Final version, title changed, published in Documenta Mathematic

Moduli and Periods of Supersymmetric Curves

Supersymmetric curves are the analogue of Riemann surfaces in super geometry. We establish some foundational results about complex Deligne-Mumford superstacks, and we then prove that the moduli superstack of supersymmetric curves is a smooth complex Deligne-Mumford superstack. We then show that the superstack of supersymmetric curves admits a coarse complex superspace, which, in this case, is just an ordinary complex space. In the second part of this paper we discuss the period map. We remark that the period domain is the moduli space of ordinary abelian varieties endowed with a symmetric theta divisor, and we then show that the differential of the period map is surjective. In other words, we prove that any first order deformation of a classical Jacobian is the Jacobian of a supersymmetric curve.Comment: Minor revision, to appear on Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physic

The degree of the Gauss map of the theta divisor

We study the degree of the Gauss map of the theta divisor of principally polarised complex abelian varieties. We use this to obtain a bound on the multiplicity of the theta divisor along irreducible components of its singular locus, and apply this bound in examples, and to understand the local structure of isolated singular points. We further define a stratification of the moduli space of ppav's by the degree of the Gauss map. In dimension four, we show that this stratification gives a weak solution of the Schottky problem, and we conjecture that this is true in any dimension

On some modular contractions of the moduli space of stable pointed curves

The aim of this paper is to study some modular contractions of the moduli space of stable pointed curves. These new moduli spaces, which are modular compactifications of the moduli space of smooth pointed curves, are related with the minimal model program for the moduli space of stable pointed curves and have been introduced in a previous work of the authors. We interpret them as log canonical models of adjoints divisors and we then describe the Shokurov decomposition of a region of boundary divisors on the moduli space of stable pointed curves.Comment: 30 pages, 1 figure. To appear on Algebra and Number Theor

The Gauss map and secants of the Kummer variety

Fay's trisecant formula shows that the Kummer variety of the Jacobian of a smooth projective curve has a four dimensional family of trisecant lines. We study when these lines intersect the theta divisor of the Jacobian, and prove that the Gauss map of the theta divisor is constant on these points of intersection, when defined. We investigate the relation between the Gauss map and multisecant planes of the Kummer variety as well.Comment: Minor changes, to appear on the Bulletin of London Mathematical Societ

Semicontinuity of Gauss maps and the Schottky problem

We show that the degree of Gauss maps on abelian varieties is semicontinuous in families, and we study its jump loci. As an application we obtain that in the case of theta divisors this degree answers the Schottky problem. Our proof computes the degree of Gauss maps by specialization of Lagrangian cycles on the cotangent bundle. We also get similar results for the intersection cohomology of varieties with a finite morphism to an abelian variety; it follows that many components of Andreotti-Mayer loci, including the Schottky locus, are part of the stratification of the moduli space of ppav's defined by the topological type of the theta divisor.Comment: Final version, to appear in Math. Annale

A note on families of K-semistable log-Fano pairs

In this short note, we give an alternative proof of the semipositivity of the Chow-Mumford line bundle for families of K-semistable log-Fano pairs, and of the nefness threeshold for the log-anti-canonical line bundle on families of K-stable log Fano pairs. We also prove a bound on the multiplicity of fibers for families of K-semistable log Fano varieties, which to the best of our knowledge is new.Comment: comments are welcome

Characterizing Jacobians via the KP equation and via flexes and degenerate trisecants to the Kummer variety: an algebro-geometric approach

We give completely algebro-geometric proofs of a theorem by T. Shiota, and of a theorem by I. Krichever, characterizing Jacobians of algebraic curves among all irreducible principally polarized abelian varieties. Shiota's characterization is given in terms of the KP equation. Krichever's characterization is given in terms of trisecant lines to the Kummer variety. Here we treat the case of flexes and degenerate trisecants. The basic tool we use is a theorem we prove asserting that the base locus of the linear system associated to an effective line bundle on an abelian variety is reduced. This result allows us to remove all the extra assumptions that were introduced in the theorems by the first author, C. De Concini, G.Marini, and O. Debarre, in order to achieve algebro-geometric proofs of the results above.Comment: 21 page