Geometry of the intersection ring of the moduli space of flat connections and the conjectures of Newstead and Witten (Q1373496)

Let \({\mathcal R}_g(t_1,\ldots,t_n)\) be the moduli space of special unitary representations \[ \rho:\pi_1(\Sigma^g\setminus\{p_1,\ldots,p_n\})\to SU(2) \] of the fundamental group of an \(n\)-punctured Riemann surface with fixed isotropy characters \(\text{tr}(\rho(c_i)) = 2\cos t_i\pi\) for some real numbers \(t_i\). When \(t_i\) are chosen appropriately this space carries a canonical symplectic structure. If \(t_i\) satisfy a certain rationality condition, the space is a quasi-projective algebraic variety equal to the moduli space of parabolic rank 2 vector bundles on \(\Sigma\). For each \(i = 1,\ldots,n\) one can define a certain circle bundle \(V_i\) on \({\mathcal R}_g(t_1,\ldots,t_n)\) and the problem is to compute the various Chern numbers \(\int (c_1(V_1)^{k_1}\cdots c_1(V_n)^{k_n}\). This is analogous to the Witten conjecture for the cohomology of the moduli space of marked Riemann surfaces. Using some explicit description of the homology cycles dual to the classes \(r_i = c_1(V_i)\) the author proves that the cohomology classes \(r_{j_1}^{k_1}\cdots r_{j_n}^{k_n}\) always vanish if \(k_1+\ldots+k_n \geq 2g+n-1\). This was conjectured by P. Newstead and was proven by \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [in: Topological methods in modern mathematics, Proc. Sympos. Honor J. Milnor's 60th Birthday, Stony Brook 1991, 137-170 (1993; Zbl 0870.57039)] and \textit{F. Kirwan} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 5, No. 4, 853-906 (1992; Zbl 0804.14010)] in the case \(n=1\). Also the author extends to arbitrary \(n\) a Donaldson recursion relation relating the cohomology classes \(r_1^{k_1}\cdots r_n^{k_n}\omega^{3g+n-k_1+\ldots+k_n-3}\), where \(\omega\) is the class of the symplectic form on the moduli space, with similar classes on the moduli spaces corresponding to Riemann surfaces of lower genus. There is also a generalization of these results to the moduli spaces of higher-dimensional representations.