Tau function and moduli of meromorphic quadratic differentials (Q2073666)

The present paper is a continuation of [the authors, Contemp. Math. 593, 241--261 (2013; Zbl 1297.14032)]. The Bergman tau functions are applied to the study of the Picard group of moduli spaces of quadratic differentials with at most \(n\) simple poles on genus \(g\) complex algebraic curves. This generalizes the previous results obtained by the authors on moduli spaces of holomorphic quadratic differentials. The paper is organized as follows : Section 1 is an introduction to the subject and statement of results. In Section 2 the authors introduce a twofold canonical cover corresponding to a pair consisting of a complex algebraic curve and a quadratic differential on it with \(n\) simple poles. The main objective of this section is to discuss the action of the covering involution on (co)homology of the cover and the associated matrix of \(b\)-periods. In Section 3 they define two tau functions corresponding to the eigenvalues \(\pm1\) of the covering map, discuss their basic properties and interpret them as holomorphic sections of line bundles on the moduli space of quadratic differentials with simple poles. In Section 4 they study the asymptotic behavior of the tau functions near a divisor and use it to express the Hodge and Prym classes via the classes of the boundary divisors and the tautological class.