Minimal rational curves on moduli spaces of stable bundles (Q1772099)

Let \(C\) be a complex projective smooth curve and \(M\) the moduli space of semistable vector bundles of rank \(r\) over \(C\) with fixed determinant \(\mathcal{L}\). Let \(W \in M\) and let \(\zeta\) be a point of a fibre \(\mathbb{P} W^{\vee}_p\). Consider the Hecke modification \(W^{\zeta}\) of \(W\) along \(\zeta^{\perp}\), given by the exact sheaf sequence \(0 \to W^{\zeta} \to W \to (W_{p} / \zeta^{\perp}) \otimes \mathcal{O}_{p} \to 0\). A general line in \(\mathbb{P} W^{\zeta}_p\) containing the point \([ \text{Ker} (W^{\zeta}_{p} \to W_p )]\) defines a rational curve in \(M\) passing through \([W]\), called a Hecke curve. The main results of this interesting article are as follows. Firstly (Theorem 2.7), if \(g \geq 3\) then any rational curve in \(M\) passing through the generic point has degree at least \(2r\) with respect to the ample anticanonical bundle of \(M\), and those of minimal degree \(2r\) are precisely the Hecke curves (unless \(g=3\), \(r=2\) and \(d\) is even). Next (Theorem 3.4), when \(\gcd(\text{deg}(\mathcal{L}),r)=1\) the Hecke curves are shown to be exactly the images of the lines in projective spaces of the form \(\mathbb{P} H^{1}(C, \text{Hom}(V_{2} , V_{1}))\), parametrising extensions \(0 \to V_{1} \to E \to V_{2} \to 0\) for suitable bundles \(V_1\), \(V_2\) over \(C\). The author uses Theorem 2.7 to give simple proofs of two important known results [\textit{M. S. Narasimhan, S. Ramanan}, Ann. Math. (2) 101, 391--417 (1975; Zbl 0314.14004), \textit{A. Kouvidakis, T. Pantev}, Math. Ann. 302, No. 2, 225--268 (1995; Zbl 0841.14029) and \textit{J.-M. Hwang, S. Ramanan}, Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 37, No. 5, 801--817 (2004; Zbl 1073.14046)]: the nonabelian Torelli theorem and a description of the automorphism group of \(M\).