Hurwitz spaces of triple coverings of elliptic curves and moduli spaces of abelian threefolds

We prove that the moduli spaces A_3(D) of polarized abelian threefolds with polarizations of types D=(1,1,2), (1,2,2), (1,1,3) or (1,3,3) are unirational. The result is based on the study of families of simple coverings of elliptic curves of degree 2 or 3 and on the study of the corresponding period mappings associated with holomorphic differentials with trace 0. In particular we prove the unirationality of the Hurwitz space H_{3,A}(Y) which parameterizes simply branched triple coverings of an elliptic curve Y with determinants of the Tschirnhausen modules isomorphic to A^{-1}.Comment: 43 pages, latex2e, some typos corrected, references updated, to appear in Annali di Matematica Pura ed Applicat

Irreducibility of Hurwitz spaces

Graber, Harris and Starr proved, when n >= 2d, the irreducibility of the Hurwitz space H^0_{d,n}(Y) which parametrizes degree d coverings of a smooth, projective curve Y of positive genus, simply branched in n points, with full monodromy group S_d (math.AG/0205056). We sharpen this result and prove that H^0_{d,n}(Y) is irreducible if n >= max{2,2d-4} and in the case of elliptic Y if n >= max{2,2d-6}. We extend the result to coverings simply branched in all but one point of the discriminant. Fixing the ramification multiplicities over the special point we prove that the corresponding Hurwitz space is irreducible if the number of simply branched points is >= 2d-2. We study also simply branched coverings with monodromy group different from S_d and when n is large enough determine the corresponding connected components of H_{d,n}(Y). Our results are based on explicit calculation of the braid moves associated with the standard generators of the n-strand braid group of Y.Comment: latex2e, 34 pages, 5 figure

Polarization types of isogenous Prym-Tyurin varieties

Let p:C-->Y be a covering of smooth, projective curves which is a composition of \pi:C-->C' of degree 2 and g:C'-->Y of degree n. Let f:X-->Y be the covering of degree 2^n, where the curve X parametrizes the liftings in C^{(n)} of the fibers of g:C'-->Y. Let P(X,\delta) be the associated Prym-Tyurin variety, known to be isogenous to the Prym variety P(C,C'). Most of the results in the paper focus on calculating the polarization type of the restriction of the canonical polarization of JX on P(X,\delta). We obtain the polarization type when n=3. When Y=P^1 we conjecture that P(X,\delta) is isomorphic to the dual of the Prym variety P(C,C'). This was known when n=2, we prove it when n=3, and for arbitrary n if \pi:C-->C' is \'{e}tale. Similar results are obtained for some other types of coverings.Comment: 28 page

Hurwitz moduli varieties parameterizing Galois covers of an algebraic curve

Given a smooth, projective curve $Y$, a finite group $G$ and a positive integer $n$ we study smooth, proper families $X\to Y\times S\to S$ of Galois covers of $Y$ with Galois group isomorphic to $G$ branched in $n$ points, parameterized by algebraic varieties $S$. When $G$ is with trivial center we prove that the Hurwitz space $H^G_n(Y)$ is a fine moduli variety for this category and construct explicitly the universal family. For arbitrary $G$ we prove that $H^G_n(Y)$ is a coarse moduli variety. For families of pointed Galois covers of $(Y,y_0)$ we prove that the Hurwitz space $H^G_n(Y,y_0)$ is a fine moduli variety, and construct explicitly the universal family, for arbitrary group $G$. We use classical tools of algebraic topology and of complex algebraic geometry.Comment: v3: 42 pages, minor changes, introduction rewritte

Hurwitz spaces of Galois coverings of P^1 with Galois groups Weyl groups

We prove the irreducibility of the Hurwitz spaces which parametrize Galois coverings of P^1 whose Galois group is an arbitrary Weyl group and the local monodromies are reflections. This generalizes a classical theorem due to Clebsch and Hurwitz.Comment: Latex, 15 page

Unirationality of Hurwitz spaces of coverings of degree <= 5

Let $Y$ be a smooth, projective curve of genus $g\geq 1$ over the complex numbers. Let $H^0_{d,A}(Y)$ be the Hurwitz space which parametrizes coverings $p:X \to Y$ of degree $d$, simply branched in $n=2e$ points, with monodromy group equal to $S_d$, and $det(p_{*}O_X/O_Y)$ isomorphic to a fixed line bundle $A^{-1}$ of degree $-e$. We prove that, when $d=3, 4$ or $5$ and $n$ is sufficiently large (precise bounds are given), these Hurwitz spaces are unirational. If in addition $(e,2)=1$ (when $d=3$), $(e,6)=1$ (when $d=4$) and $(e,10)=1$ (when $d=5$), then these Hurwitz spaces are rational.Comment: Proposition 2.11 and Lemma 2.13 are corrected. The corrections do not affect the other statements of the paper. Corrigendum submitted to IMR

A criterion for extending morphisms from open subsets of smooth fibrations of algebraic varieties

Given a smooth morphism Y→S and a proper morphism P→S of algebraic varieties we give a sufficient condition for extending an S-morphism U→P, where U is an open subset of Y, to an S-morphism Y→P, analogous to Zariski’s main theorem

Hurwitz spaces of quadruple coverings of elliptic curves and the moduli space of Abelian threefolds A_3(1,1,4)

We prove that the moduli space A_3(1,1,4) of polarized abelian threefolds with polarization of type (1,1,4) is unirational. By a result of Birkenhake and Lange this implies the unirationality of the isomorphic moduli space A_3(1,4,4). The result is based on the study the Hurwitz space H_{4,n}(Y) of quadruple coverings of an elliptic curve Y simply branched in n points. We prove the unirationality of its codimension one subvariety H^{0}_{4,A}(Y) which parametrizes quadruple coverings \pi:X --> Y with Tschirnhausen modules isomorphic to A^{-1}, where A\in Pic^{n/2}Y, and for which \pi^*:J(Y)--> J(X) is injective. This is an analog of the result of Arbarello and Cornalba that the Hurwitz space H_{4,n}(P^1) is unirational