The class of a Hurwitz divisor on the moduli of curves of even genus (Q1939229)

This paper under review determines the class of a key divisor (Hurwitz cycle) whose class was still unknown. Let \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_g\) be the Deligne-Mumford compactification of the moduli space of stable curves of even genus \(g=2k\) (over \(\mathbb{C}\)). A general curve of genus \(g\) is in finitely many ways a degree \(k+1\) cover of \(\mathbb{P}^1\) with \(6k\) simple branch points by the Hurwitz-Zeuthen formula. The condition that two of the resulting \(6k\) branch points lie in the same fiber over \(\mathbb{P}^1\) defines a divisor \(D_2\) in \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_g\). Similarly, the condition that two branch points collide (and therefore define a triple ramification) defines a divisor \(D_3\) in \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_g\). The class of \(D_3\) was already calculated by \textit{J. Harris} in the paper [Invent. Math. 75, 437--466 (1984; Zbl 0542.14014)] The class of \(D_2\) remain was undetermined so far. The authors of this paper determines the class of \(D_2\) by studying the geometry of the natural map \[ \overline{H}_{2k,k+1}\longrightarrow\overline{\mathcal{M}_{2k}}. \] Here \(\overline{H}_{g,d}\) is the compactification of the Hurwitz scheme by the admissible covers. The method of proof is by pushing forward a formula (given in [\textit{A. Kokotov, D. Korotkin} and \textit{P. Zograf}, Adv. Math. 227, No. 1, 586--600 (2011; Zbl 1218.30119)]) to \(\overline{\mathcal{M}_{2k}}\) that relates the class \(\lambda_H\) of the Hodge bundle on \(\overline{H}_{2k,k+1}\) to the boundary divisors in \(\overline{H}_{2k,k+1}\setminus{H}_{2k,k+1}\) and carefully study the push-forward of the boundary divisors of \(\overline{H}_{2k,k+1}\) to \(\overline{\mathcal{M}_{2k}}\) involved in that formula. Some of the boundary divisors dominate \(D_2\) and therefore they could obtain a formula for the class of \(D_2\).