Prym varieties of spectral covers (Q441125)

Let \(C\) be a complex smooth projective curve and \(M\) a line bundle of positive degree on \(C\). Let \(|M|\) denote its total space and \(\pi:|M|\to C\) the projection. A spectral cover \(X\) of degree \(n\) over \(C\) associated to \(M\) is the zero divisor in \(|M|\) of a non-zero section \(s\in H^0(|M|,\pi^* M^n)\). Note that \(X\) is not necessarily reduced or irreducible. The authors define the Prym variety \(\text{Prym}(X/C)\) of the spectral cover \(\pi: X\to C\) to be the kernel of the norm map \(\text{Pic}^0(X)\to \text{Pic}^0(C)\). In particular this Prym variety is not necessarily connected. The main result of the paper is a formula for the number of connected components of \(\text{Prym}(X/C)\). An an application they get that the group of \(n\)-torsion points of the Jacobian of \(C\) acts trivially on the cohomology of the twisted \(\text{SL}_n\)-Higgs moduli space up to the degree predicted by topological mirror symmetry. This yields a new proof of a theorem of Harder-Narasimhan saying that this finite group acts trivially of the cohomology of the moduli space of stable vector bundles of rank \(n\) with fixed determinant.