Period map of Triple coverings of \(\text{P}^2\) and mixed Hodge structures (Q2329639)

Consider the moduli space $\mathcal{M}$ of \textit{special configurations} of six projective lines $\{ l_i\}_{i=1}^6$ in the sense that the intersections of three lines $l_1, l_3, l_6$ and $l_2, l_4, l_6$ are one point. By an appropriate choice of the coordinate system, the space is regarded as the set of pairs $(x_1, x_2)\in\mathbb{C}^2$ such that $x_1,\, x_2\not=0,1$ and $x_1+x_2\not=1$. The normalisation of the triple covering of the projective plane branching along a special configuration admits a rational map $\lambda$ from the direct product of two curves $E$ and $C$ that are triple coverings of the projective line. The goal of the paper under review is to describe the moduli space $\mathcal{M}$ by giving the image and the inverse of the period mapping for $\mathcal{M}$ in terms of a theta function with characteristics $(-2,-1,1,2)/3$. For this purpose, the study concerning the homology groups of the curve $C$ can give an explicit description of the period matrix and the period integrals for points in the space $\mathcal{M}$. Section 5 is devoted to the study of points $(x_1, x_2)\in\mathcal{M}$ satisfying the extra properties $0<x_1$, $x_2$, $x_1+x_2<1$. The general case is treated in Section 6, after a construction of the moduli space $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{mk}}$ of marked special configurations, it allows to compute the period matrix by using the mixed Hodge structure of a subspace $H_2(X, E_2)_\rho$ and thus a period mapping for $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{mk}}$, and to study an appropriate group action so that the authors finally obtain the period mapping for $\mathcal{M}$.