Stable maps and Quot schemes (Q1396690)

Let \(C\) be a smooth projective curve of genus \(g\) over an algebraically closed field and \(E\) a vector bundle on \(C\) of rank \(r\). The paper considers two different compactifications of the space of vector bundle quotients of \(E\) of fixed rank and degree. The first is Grothendieck's Quot scheme \(\text{Quot}_{k,d}(E)\) of coherent quotients of \(E\) of rank \(k\) and degree \(d\), while the second is the Kontsevich moduli space \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G (E,k), \beta_d)\) of stable maps into the relative Grassmannian \(G (E,k)\) of \(k\)-dimensional quotient spaces of \(E\). Here \(\beta _d \in H_2(G (E,k), \mathbb{Z})\) denotes the homology class of a section of the projection \(\pi : G (E,k) \rightarrow C\) corresponding to such a quotient of \(E\). Since the quotient bundles \(F\) of \(E\) of rank \(k\) are in one to one correspondence with sections \(\sigma _F\) of \(\pi\), it is possible to compactify the space of quotient bundles by compactifying the space of sections. A point of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) corresponds to the data of an isomorphism class of a stable map \((C',f)\), where \(C'\) is a complete connected curve of arithmetic genus \(g\), with at most nodes as singularities, and \(f: C' \rightarrow G (E,k)\) is a map with \(f_* [C'] = \beta _d\) [For the involved definitions see e.g. \textit{W. Fulton} and \textit{R. Pandharipande}, Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 62, 45--96 (1997; Zbl 0898.14018), and \textit{J. Harris} and \textit{I. Morrison}, ``Moduli of curves'' Graduate Texts in Mathematics. 187. New York, NY: Springer (1998; Zbl 0913.14005)]. The first main result is: \(\dim \overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d) \leq k(r-k) + (d-d_k)r\) for all \(d \geq d_k\), where \(d_k\) denotes the minimal degree of a quotient bundle of rank \(k\). As consequence of that, the authors obtain the analogous statement about Quot schemes: \(\dim \text{Quot}_{k,d}(E) \leq k(r-k) + (d-d_k)r\) for all \(d \geq d_k\). The authors obtain the following relevant results about the component structure of the moduli spaces \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) and \(\text{Quot}_{k,d}(E)\): (1) For all large \(d\) there is a unique component of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) whose generic point corresponds to a smooth section (i.e. a vector bundle quotient); this component is of the expected dimension \(rd-ke-k(r-k)(g-1)\). (2) In the case of the Quot scheme the best possible result holds: For any vector bundle \(E\) on \(C\), there is an integer \(d_Q\) such that for all \(d \geq d_Q\) the scheme \(\text{Quot}_{k,d}(E)\) is irreducible, generically smooth, of the expected dimension \(rd-ke-(k(r-k)(g-1)\) and its generic point corresponds to a vector bundle quotient. (3) In contrast with the Quot scheme situation, the irreducibility of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) is obtained only for stable bundles \(E\): For any vector bundle \(E\) the spaces \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) are connected for all large \(d\). They are irreducible for all \(k\) and all large \(d\) if and only if \(E\) is a generic stable bundle (\(g \geq 2\)). The dimension of the schemes \(\text{Quot}_{k,d}(E)\) was studied for generic stable bundles \(E\) on a curve \(C\) with genus \(g \geq 2\) also by \textit{B. Russo} and \textit{M. Teixidor i Bigas} [J. Algebr. Geom. 8, 483--496 (1999; Zbl 0942.14013)]. The methods proposed in the paper under review indicate that sometimes it is more convenient to work with stable maps and reducible domain rather than with quotients having torsion. But the authors prove that in general there is no morphism from \(\overline{\mathcal M}_g (G(E,k), \beta_d)\) to \(\text{Quot}_{k,d}(E)\) extending the identification on the locus corresponding to vector bundle quotients. Such a morphism exists for \(k= r-1\) or \(d \in \{ d_k, d_k+1 \}\). In the last section the authors apply their results to study linear series on the moduli spaces of vector bundles on curves. Let \(C\) be a smooth curve of genus \(g \geq 2\), let \(SU_C(r)\) denote the moduli space of semistable rank \(r\) vector bundles on \(C\) of trivial determinant and let \(\mathcal L\) be the determinant bundle. The authors prove that for \(p \geq [\frac{r^2}{4}]\) the series \(|\mathcal L ^p|\) on \(SU_C(r)\) is base point free. This is used to study the moduli space \(U_C(r,0)\) of semistable bundles of rank \(r\) and degree \(0\) and the generalized theta divisor \(\Theta _L\) associated to a line bundle \(L \in \text{Pic}^{g-1}\): If \(r \leq 5\) and \(k \geq r+1\), then the linear series \(|k \Theta _L|\) is base point free on \(U_C(r,0)\) [see also \textit{M. Popa}, Duke Math. J. 107, 469--495 (2001; Zbl 1064.14032), and Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 354, 1869--1898 (2002; Zbl 0996.14015)]. This article is an important contribution towards the understanding of the geometry of moduli spaces of curves, moduli spaces and \text{Quot} schemes of vector bundles over a curve. The paper is very well written, lucid, detailed, rigorous and enlightening.