Virtual refinements of the Vafa-Witten formula (Q2181972)

The paper addresses the problem of finding closed formulae for \(\chi_y\)-genera of moduli spaces of rank \(2\) sheaves on smooth projective surfaces with holomorphic 2-forms. Let \(S\) be a smooth projective surface with \(b_1=0\) and polarization \(H\). Denote by \[ M:=M_S^H(r,c_1,c_2) \] the moduli space of rank \(r\) Gieseker \(H\)-stable torsion-free sheaves on \(S\) with Chern classes \(c_1\in H^2(S, \mathbb{Z})\), \(c_2\in H^4(S, \mathbb{Z})\). The authors assume, throughout the paper, that no rank \(r\) Gieseker \(H\)-semistable torsion-free sheaves on \(S\) with Chern classes \(c_1, c_2\) exist; then \(M_S^H(r,c_1,c_2) \) is a projective scheme. \(M\) is endowed with a perfect obstruction theory in the sense of Behrend-Fantechi, therefore carries a virtual cycle \([M]^{vir}\); invariants are defined by integrating against such class. Consider the generating series of \(\overline{\chi}_y\)-genera (a symmetrization of usual \(\chi_y\)-genera) \[ Z_{S,H,c_1}(x,y):= \sum_{c_2}\overline{\chi}_{-y}(M_S^{H} (2,c_1,c_2))x^{4c_2-c_1^2-3\chi(\mathcal{O}_S)} \] where the power of \(x\) keeps track of the virtual dimension of the moduli space for a given \(c_2\). The authors propose that, if \(S\) is a smooth projective surface with \(b_1(S)=0\), \(p_g(S)> 0\) with only Seiberg-Witten basic classes \(0\) and \(K_S\neq 0\), then \(\overline{\chi}_{-y}(M_S^H (2,c_1,c_2)\) is the coefficient of \(x^{4c_2-c_1^2-3\chi(\mathcal{O}_S)}\) of \[ \psi_S(x,y):=8\left(\frac{1}{2}\prod_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(1-x^{2n})^{10}(1-x^{2n}y)(1-x^{2n}y^{-1})} \right)^{\chi(\mathcal{O}_S)}\left( \frac{2\overline{\eta}(x^4)^2}{\theta_3(x,y^{\frac{1}{2}})} \right)^{K_S^2} \] where \(\overline{\eta}\) and \(\theta_3\) are explicit functions. The authors generalize the conjecture also to arbitrary smooth projective surface with \(b_1=0\) and \(p_g(S)>0\), with no restrictions on its Seiberg-Witten classes, providing a more complicated closed formula. This formula has a very deep understanding in the realm of string theory. In fact, the conjectured formula recovers part of a formula proposed by Vafa-Witten, related to \(S\)-duality, and by Dijkgraaf-Park-Schroers present in the physics literature. Amazingly, the missing part of Vafa-Witten formula was recently recovered by Tanaka-Thomas by studying moduli spaces of Higgs bundles on \(S\). The approach to the conjecture is the following. Via Hirzebruch-Riemann-Roch the invariants are related to certain descendent Donaldson invariants. These are expressed via Mochizuki's formula in terms of Seiberg-Witten invariants of \(S\) and certain tautological integrals over \(S^{[n_1]}\times S^{[n_2]}\). Universality of these integrals reduce the computation to seven universal series, which are entirely determined by their values on \(S=\mathbb{P}^2\) and \(\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{P}^1\). At this point, using Atiyah-Bott localization the first terms of these universal series are computed. The authors present also a list of surfaces where the conjecture has been verified, up to some orders.