Curvature of determinant bundles for degenerate families (Q1907975)

Let \(\lambda_E\) denote the determinant bundle associated to a vector bundle \(E\) over a family \(\pi:X \to S\) of Riemann surfaces with ordinary singularities. The authors calculate the (1,1)-curvature of the Beilinson-Schechtman connection \(\nabla_{BS}\) [\textit{A. A. Beilinson} and \textit{V. V. Schechtman (Shekhtman)}, Commun. Math. Phys. 118, No. 4, 651--701 (1988; Zbl 0665.17010)] on \(\lambda_E\) in terms of smooth connections \(\nabla_E\) on \(E\) and \(\nabla_\omega\) on \(\omega_{X/S}\). As a consequence, they obtain a generalisation of a theorem of \textit{J.-M. Bismut} and \textit{J.-B. Bost} [Acta Math. 165, No. 1/2, 1--103 (1990; Zbl 0709.32019), Theorem 2.1]. In contrast to the global methods used by Bismut and Bost, this paper employs direct calculations in terms of local coordinates.