Extensions of the universal theta divisor (Q1673986)

In the present article, the authors consider the question of extending the universal Jacobian \( \mathcal{J}_{g,n} \rightarrow \mathcal{M}_{g,n} \) to a family of moduli spaces over \(\mathcal{M}^{TL}_{g,n}, \) the moduli space of tree like curves. To this end, the authors construct an affine space \(V^{TL}_{g,n}\), the \textit{stability space}, and for each nondegenerate \textit{stability parameter} \( \phi \in V^{TL}_{g,n} \) a family of moduli spaces \( \overline{\mathcal{J}}_{g,n}(\phi) \rightarrow \mathcal{M}^{TL}_{g,n} \) which extend the universal Jacobian. The authors' goal is then to study the enumerative geometry of the theta divisor \( \Theta \subset \mathcal{J}_{g,n} \) in relation to this construction. For example, each sequence of integers \(\overrightarrow{d} = (d_1,\dots,d_n)\) with \[ \sum_j d_j = g - 1 \] and at least one \(d_j\) negative determines a section \[ s_{\overrightarrow{d}} : \mathcal{M}_{g,n} \rightarrow \mathcal{J}_{g,n}. \] The main idea is then that each nondegenerate stability parameter \( \phi \in V^{TL}_{g,n} \) determines a unique extension of this section \(s_{\overrightarrow{d}}\) to a morphism \[ s_{\overrightarrow{d}} : \mathcal{M}^{TL}_{g,n} \rightarrow \overline{\mathcal{J}}_{g,n}(\phi). \] The authors then show that the theta divisor extends to a divisor \( \overline{\Theta}(\phi) \subset \overline{\mathcal{J}}_{g,n}(\phi). \) Furthermore, the preimage of \(\overline{\Theta}(\phi)\) under \(s_{\overrightarrow{d}}\) determines a class \( \overline{\theta}(\phi) \in \text{Pic}(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}) \) in the Picard group of the moduli space of genus \(g\) stable curves with \(n\) marked points. Using their main result, which is a wall-crossing type formula for the stability space \(V^{TL}_{g,n}\), the authors express the class of \(\overline{\theta}(\phi)\) in terms of the class of the Hodge bundle, the classes of the cotangent line bundles and the boundary strata classes. As further applications of their results, the authors explain how they are related to work of \textit{S. Grushevsky} and \textit{D. Zakharov} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 142, No. 12, 4053--4064 (2014; Zbl 1327.14132)], \textit{R. Hain} [Adv. Lect. Math. 24, 527--578 (2014; Zbl 1322.14049)], \textit{F. Müller} [Math. Nachr. 286, No. 11--12, 1255--1266 (2013; Zbl 1285.14032)], \textit{V. Alexeev} [Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 40, No. 4, 1241--1265 (2004; Zbl 1079.14019)], and \textit{L. Caporaso} [J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 11, No. 6, 1385--1427 (2009; Zbl 1202.14030)].