The Euler characteristic of local systems on the moduli of genus 3 hyperelliptic curves (Q1779184)

In the moduli space \(\mathcal M_3\) of curves of genus \(3\), consider the \(5\)-dimensional locus \(\mathcal H\) of hyperelliptic curves. The universal curve \(\pi:\mathcal M_{3,1}\to \mathcal M_3\) defines a local system \(R^1\pi_*(\mathbb Q)\) which restricts to a local system \(\mathbb V\) on \(\mathcal H\). For any partition \(\lambda=\{\lambda_1\geq\lambda_2\geq \lambda_3\}\), the decomposition \[ \text{Sym}^{\lambda_1-\lambda_2}\mathbb V\oplus \text{Sym}^{\lambda_2-\lambda_3}\Lambda^2\mathbb V\oplus \text{Sym}^{\lambda_1-\lambda_2}\Lambda^3 \mathbb V \] yields a symplectic local system \(\mathbb V_\lambda\) on \(\mathcal H\). The authors compute the Euler characteristic of the cohomology of \(\mathcal H\) with coefficients in \(\mathbb V_\lambda\). The main tool is the study of the orbits of hyperelliptic genus \(3\) curves, represented as curves of equation \(Y^2=f(X)\) in the \((X,Y)\)-plane, under the action of SL\((2,\mathbb C)\times \mathbb C\).