On the effective cone of \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g, n}\) (Q2411335): Difference between revisions

Let \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) be the moduli space of stable genus \(g\) curves with \(n\) marked points. The study of the effective cone of divisors in \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) has been one of the major topics for the theory of moduli of curves in the last four decades, dating back to \textit{J. Harris} and \textit{D. Mumford} [Invent. Math. 67, 23--86 (1982; Zbl 0506.14016); ibid. 75, 437--466 (1984; Zbl 0542.14014)] seminal work about the Kodaira dimension of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g}\) [\textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{J. Harris}, Invent. Math. 90, 359--387 (1987; Zbl 0631.14023)], see also [\textit{G. Farkas}, Math. Ann. 318, No. 1, 43--65 (2000; Zbl 0992.14006)], [\textit{A. Logan}, Am. J. Math. 125, No. 1, 105--138 (2003; Zbl 1066.14030)], [\textit{G. Farkas}, in: Geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces. Somerville, MA: International Press. 57--110 (2010; Zbl 1215.14024)] for some further generalizations. An important question is whether the effective cone of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) is finitely generated. In particular, a negative answer would imply that \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) is not a Mori dream space. It was previously known that the effective cone of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{1,n}\) is not finitely generated for every \(n \geq 3\) [\textit{D. Chen} and \textit{I. Coskun}, Math. Ann. 359, No. 3--4, 891--908 (2014; Zbl 1307.14034)]. In this impressive paper the author shows that the effective cone of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) is not finitely generated in the range \(g\geq 2\) and \(n\geq g+1\). In order to prove the result, the author constructs infinitely many extremal effective divisors in \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) that arise from the strata of abelian differentials with prescribed zeros and poles.