The half-integral weight eigencurve. Appendix: Brian Conrad (Q1005884)

In [Ann. Inst. Fourier 56, No. 3, 599--624 (2006; Zbl 1200.11033)], the author set up a geometric theory of modular forms of half-integral weight, with geometrically defined Hecke operators. This approach naturally led to a theory of overconvergent \(p\)-adic modular forms of such weights equipped with a Hecke action for which \(U_{p^2}\) is compact. In this article, the author defines Banach spaces of overconvergent half-integral weight \(p\)-adic modular forms and Banach modules of families of over-convergent half-integral weight \(p\)-adic modular forms over admissible open subsets of weight space. Both spaces are equipped with a continuous Hecke action for which \(U_{p^2}\) is compact. He uses the latter spaces and \textit{K. Buzzard}'s eigenvariety machinery [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 320, 59--120 (2004; Zbl 1230.11054)] to construct a half-integral weight eigencurve parametrizing all systems of eigenvalues of Hecke operators occuring on spaces of half-integral weight overconvergent eigenforms of finite slope. He also proves an analog of Coleman's result that overconvergent eigenforms of suitably low slope are classical. In a forthcoming paper [The overconvergent Shimura lifting, preprint 2007], the author will construct a map from half-integral weight eigencurve to its integral weight counterpart that rigid-analytically interpolates the classical Shimura lifting [\textit{G. Shimura}, Ann. Math. (2) 97, 440--481 (1973; Zbl 0266.10022)]. The appendix, written by B. Conrad, establishes some geometric properties concerning the cuspidal locus in compactified moduli spaces for level structures on elliptic curves.