Some unlikely intersections between the Torelli locus and Newton strata in \(\mathcal{A}_g\) (Q2031988)

Let \(p\) be an odd prime. In this work, motivated by the problem of understanding the possibilities of Newton polygons for a curve in characteristic \(p\), the author studies the Newton polygons of certain curves with \(\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}\)-actions. Many of these curves exhibit unlikely intersections between the Torelli locus and the Newton stratification in \(\mathcal{A}_{g}\), and an important example provides evidence on Oort's conjecture, which states that the amalgamation of the Newton polygons of two curves is again the Newton polygon of a curve. Moreover, families of curves whose Newton polygons have interesting asymptotic properties are constructed. The proof uses a Newton-over-Hodge result for \(\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}\)-covers of curves due to the author, in addition to a recent work of Booher-Pries.