Instanton moduli as a novel map from tori to K3-surfaces (Q1207414)

This paper studies the moduli space \(M(P)\) of \(SO(3)\)-instantons on a bundle \(P\) over a 4-torus \(T\). When \(w_ 2(P)= 0\) and \(p^ 1(P) = -4\), this space has real dimension 8, and \(T\) acts on it by translation. If \(T\) is provided with a hyper-Kähler structure, the quotient space \(M = M(P)/T\) inherits a complex structure and natural metric which turns it into a hyper-Kähler surface with a few mild isolated singularities. The authors show that when these singularities are resolved, one gets a \(K3\) surface with the Calabi-Yau metric. Thus they obtain a map from the moduli of hyper-Kähler tori to hyper- Kähler \(K3\) surfaces. This map is not the Kummer map, but it has some of the same properties. For example, it factorizes through singular \(K3\) surfaces, which means that the desingularised surface contains many lines. (In fact the authors show that that the two maps are different in general by exhibiting a configuration of lines occuring on the moduli space which does not occur on generic Kummer surfaces.) However, when \(T\) is a product of principally polarized elliptic surfaces, one does get a Kummer surface, and the authors examine this case in great detail. They also show that their new map satisfies the local Torelli theorem.