Complex algebraic compactifications of the moduli space of Hermitian Yang-Mills connections on a projective manifold (Q2048459)

Let \((E, h)\) be a fixed hermitian vector bundle of rank \(r\) on a projective algebraic manifold \(X\) of dimension \(n\). Fix an induced connection \(a_J\) on the determinant \(J=\mathrm{det} E\). Let \(M^*_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) be the moduli space of gauge equivalence classes of smooth irreducible \(h\)-unitary connections that are solutions to the Hermitian Yang-Mills (HYM) equations on \((E, h)\). Let \(M^s(E, \mathcal J)\) be the moduli space of slope stable holomorphic structures on \(E\) with fixed determinant \(\mathcal J\) corresponding to \(a_J\). The authors study the relationship between three compactifications of the moduli space \(M^*_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\). Via the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck-Yau theorem, this space is analytically isomorphic to the moduli space of stable holomorphic vector bundles \(M^s(E, \mathcal J)\), and as such it admits an algebraic compactification \(\overline{M}\phantom{}^{\mathrm{GM}}(E, \mathcal J)\) by Gieseker-Maruyama semistable torsion-free sheaves. The construction from [\textit{D. Greb} and \textit{M. Toma}, Algebr. Geom. 4, No. 1, 40--78 (2017; Zbl 1423.14076)] gives another compactification as a moduli space of slope semistable sheaves \(\overline M\phantom{}^{\mu}(E, \mathcal J)\). Following fundamental work of Tian generalising the analysis of Uhlenbeck and Donaldson in complex dimension two, the authors define a gauge-theoretic compactification \(\overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) by adding certain gauge equivalence classes of ideal connections at the boundary. Extending the proofs of Jun Li in the case of bundles on algebraic surfaces, the authors exhibit comparison maps from the sheaf-theoretic compactifications and prove their continuity. The continuity, together with a delicate analysis of the fibres of the map from the moduli space of slope semistable sheaves, allows the authors to endow \(\overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) with the structure of a complex analytic space. The main result of the paper is contained in two theorems: Theorem~1.1, where the authors construct a sequentially compact Hausdorff space \(\overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) containing \(M^*_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) as a dense open subspace, and Theorem~1.2, where \(\overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) is endowed with the structure of a reduced complex analytic space such that the natural map from the weak normalization of \(M_{\mathrm{HYM}}^*(E, h, a_J)\) to \(\overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)\) is a holomorphic embedding and there are natural surjective holomorphic maps \[ \overline M\phantom{}^{\mathrm{GM}}(E, \mathcal J)^{\mathrm{wn}}\rightarrow \overline M\phantom{}^{\mu}(E, \mathcal J)\xrightarrow{\bar\Phi} \overline M_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J), \] where the first map is birational and the second one is finite and extends the map \[ \Phi^{\mathrm{wn}}\colon M^s(E, \mathcal J)^{\mathrm{wn}} \xrightarrow{\cong} M^*_{\mathrm{HYM}}(E, h, a_J)^{\mathrm{wn}} \] to the respective compactifications. The paper under review consists of five sections. Section~1 is an introduction. The main results of the paper, Theorem~1.1 and Theorem~1.2, are stated here, their proofs are briefly outlined. Remaining open questions and further directions of research are briefly discussed here as well. In Section~2 some basics on coherent sheaves and their moduli are provided. Section~3 deals with the proof of Theorem~1.1. The continuity of the map \(\bar \Phi\) is demonstrated in Section~4. The fibres of this map are analized in Section~5, Theorem~1.2 is proven here.