Siegel-Veech constants for strata of moduli spaces of quadratic differentials (Q896999)

Let \(Q_g\) denote the moduli space of pairs \((\Sigma, q)\), where \(\Sigma\) is a compact genus-\(g\) Riemann surface and \(q\) a finite-area meromorphic quadratic differential (the area condition ensures that \(q\) has at most simple poles). This space can be decomposed into \textit{strata} \(Q(\alpha)\) corresponding to integer partitions \(\alpha = (\alpha_1, \ldots, \alpha_k)\) of \(4g-4\), where \(-1\) is an allowed integer. Each of these is endowed with local coordinates as follows: consider the double cover \(\Sigma'\) of the surface on which \(q\) has a global square root \(\omega\); this is a holomorphic \(1\)-form on \(\Sigma'\). Let \(V\) denote the subspace of homology of \(\Sigma'\) relative to the zeros of \(\omega\) which is anti-invariant with respect to the involution whose quotient yields \(\Sigma\). Integrating \(\omega\) over a basis for \(V\) gives \textit{period} coordinates for \(Q(\alpha)\), and the Lebesgue measure in these coordinates, restricted to the hypersurface of area-1 differentials, yields a finite measure known as Masur-Veech measure. If we normalize this measure in a natural way (by fixing a lattice in the dual of V), it makes sense to ask for the total measure of a stratum \(Q(\alpha)\). These volumes are also crucial in understanding the quadratic asymptotics for counting closed and singular trajectories for individual differentials. The constants in front of these quadratic asymptotics are known as ``Siegel-Veech constants''. The main result of the paper under review is a computation of Siegel-Veech constants in all genera; a remarkable result combining geometry and combinatorics. There are also extensive explicit computations in low genus, and interesting asymptotic formulas as genus grows for ratios of interesting constants.