Theta functions for \(SL(n)\) versus \(GL(n)\) (Q1901661)

Let \(C\) be a compact Riemann surface of genus \(g\). Over \(C\) one may consider the moduli space \(M(n,d)\) of semistable rank-\(n\) vector bundles \(E\) with \(\deg (E) = d\), and the moduli space \(SM (n,L)\) of those bundles \(E\) whose determinant is isomorphic to a fixed degree-\(d\) line bundle \(L\) on \(C\). On both moduli spaces there are characteristic ample line bundles, the so-called (generalized) theta bundles. The theta bundle \(\theta\) on \(SM (n,L)\) is uniquely defined, whereas the theta bundles \(\theta_F\) on \(M (n,d)\) depend on the choice of an auxiliary semi-stable bundle \(F\) of minimal rank over \(C\). For any integer \(k \geq 1\), the global sections of \(\theta^{\otimes k}\) and of \(\theta_F^{\otimes k}\) are called (generalized) level-\(k\) theta functions for \(SL(n)\) and \(GL(n)\), respectively. In the present paper, the authors establish a formula relating the dimensions of the spaces \(H^0 (SM (n,L), \theta^{\otimes k})\) and \(H^0 (M(n,d), \theta_F^{\otimes k})\) of these two types of generalized theta functions. Their formula says that \[ \dim_\mathbb{C} H^0 \bigl (SM (n,L), \theta^{\otimes k} \bigr) \cdot k^g = \dim_\mathbb{C} H^0 \bigl( M(n,d), \theta_F^{\otimes k} \bigr) \cdot h^g, \] where \(h\) denotes the greatest common divisor of the rank \(n\) and the degree \(d\). This relation generalizes the corresponding formula in the case \(k = 1\) and \(d = 0\), which was found by \textit{A. Beauville}, \textit{M. S. Narasimhan} and \textit{S. Ramanan} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 398, 169-179 (1989; Zbl 0666.14015)]. Combining the authors' formula with the Verlinde formula, which evaluates the left-hand side, one obtains the precise dimension of the space of level-\(k\) theta functions for \(GL (n)\). In the meantime, \textit{T. Pantev} [cf. ``Comparison of generalized theta functions'', Ph. D. thesis (Philadelphia 1994); see also Duke Math. J. 76, No. 2, 509-539 (1994)] has generalized the authors' result for \(GL (n)\) and \(SL (n)\) to arbitrary reductive groups and their semisimple parts. In the second part of the paper, the established comparison formula is discussed from the viewpoint of a natural tensor product map. Some well-known special cases lead the authors to a conjectural duality theorem, whose consistency with the previous comparison formula stresses the likelihood of its validity.