Variations of Hodge structures of rank three \(k\)-Higgs bundles and moduli spaces of holomorphic triples (Q2039256)

Let \(X\) be a compact Riemann surface of genus \(g\geq 2\) and canonical bundle denoted by \(K\). Fix a point \(p\in X\) and, for a given positive integer \(k\), let \(K(kp)\) mean \(K\otimes\mathcal{O}_X(kp)\). A triple on \(X\) is given by the data \((V,W,\phi)\) where \(V,W\) are holomorphic vector bundles on \(X\) and \(\phi:W\to V\) a holomorphic map. There is a semistability condition for such objects, depending on a real number \(\sigma\). Let \(\mathcal{N}_\sigma(r_V,r_W,d_V,d_W)\) denote the moduli space of \(\sigma\)-semistable triples such that \(\mathrm{rk}(V)=r_V\), \(\mathrm{rk}(W)=r_W\), \(\mathrm{deg}(V)=d_V\) and \(\mathrm{deg}(W)=d_W\). In this paper the author deals with these moduli spaces for triples of the form \(T = (V, W, \phi)\) of type \((2, 1, \tilde d_1, \tilde d_2)\), where \(V=E_2\otimes K(kp)\) for a rank two bundle \(E_2\) and \(W=E_1\) for a line bundle \(E_1\). Thus \(\phi:E_1\to E_2\otimes K(kp)\), which may be thought of as a holomorphic map \(E_1\to E_2\otimes K\) on \(X\setminus\{p\}\) having an order \(k\) pole on \(p\). The allowed values of the stability parameter for which the moduli spaces are non-empty, depend on the positive integer \(k\). The motivation for considering these objects comes from the fact that such triples correspond to certain \(K(kp)\)-twisted rank \(3\) Higgs bundles \((E,\Phi)\) on \(X\) which are fixed points of the natural \(\mathbb{C}^*\)-action scaling the Higgs field \(\Phi\). Namely, \(E=E_1\oplus E_2\) and \(\Phi\in H^0(X,\mathrm{End}(E)\otimes K(kp))\) such that \(\Phi|_{E_1}=\phi\) and \(\Phi|_{E_2}=0\). These types of Higgs bundles are also known as variations of Hodge structure and the corresponding \(\mathbb{C}^*\)-fixed point subvarieties are important in the study of the cohomology of the moduli space of rank \(3\) Higgs bundles on \(X\). The author studies the variation of the cohomology groups of the moduli spaces \(\mathcal{N}_{\sigma(k)}(2,1,\tilde d_1, \tilde d_2)\) with the variation of \(k\) and obtains some partial stabilization results on these groups. Corresponding results on the loci of variations of Hodge structures on the Higgs moduli then follow. This is done by using a natural inclusion of the \(K(kp)\)-twisted case into to \(K((k+1)p)\)-twisted case (by multiplying by the natural section of \(\mathcal{O}_X(p)\)) and also by analyzing the variation of the cohomology of the spaces \(\mathcal{N}_{\sigma(k)}(2,1,\tilde d_1, \tilde d_2)\) by varying the parameter \(\sigma(k)\) and study the behavior when it crosses special values (known as critical values) where the stability condition changes. The case of triples of type \((1,2)\) is studied as well, hence also the associated variations of Hodge structures. Finally, the author also studies similar results for moduli spaces of variations of Hodge structures of type \((1,1,1)\), namely \(K(kp)\)-twisted Higgs bundles where the underlying bundle is a direct sum of three line bundles \(E=L_1\oplus L_2\oplus L_3\) and where the Higgs field \(\Phi\) is such that \(\Phi(L_1)\subset L_2\otimes K(kp)\), \(\Phi(L_2)\subset L_3\otimes K(kp)\) and \(\Phi(L_3)=0\). Such moduli are of course closely related with symmetric groups of \(X\) and, hence, in this case, the results obtained follow from classical results by Macdonald on the Poincaré polynomial of such spaces.