Unramified covers and branes on the Hitchin system (Q2217545)

Let \(X\) be a smooth projective complex curve of genus \(g \ge 2\). Fix integers \(n > 0\) and \(d \in \mathbb{Z}\). The moduli space \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\) of \(S\)-equivalence classes of semistable rank \(n\) and degree \(d\) Higgs bundles on \(X\) is a holomorphic symplectic manifold of finite dimension with particularly rich structure. It is a hyperkähler manifold, meaning that there are three natural complex structures \(I_{1}\), \(I_{2}\) and \(I_{3} = I_{1}I_{2}\) satisfying the quaternionic relations and a metric that is Kählerian with respect to each of the three holomorphic structures. Moreover, there exists a proper map \(h_{X,n}: \textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right) \to B_{X,n}\) (called the Hitchin map) on a vector space \(B_{X,n}\) with dimension half the dimension of \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\), which provides the space \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\) with the structure of an algebraically completely integrable Hamiltonian system, whose generic fibers are abelian varieties. In the work of \textit{A. Kapustin} and \textit{E. Witten} [Commun. Number Theory Phys. 1, No. 1, 1--236 (2007; Zbl 1128.22013)] certain pairs of subvarieties of \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\) and sheaves were considered, called \textit{branes}. These are classified in terms of each of the three complex structures \(I_{i}\) above, and so a brane is called \textit{of type A}, if it is a Lagrangian subvariety with respect to the Kähler form corresponding to \(I_{i}\) and the sheaf over it is equipped with a flat connection; it is called \textit{of type B} if it is a holomorphic subvariety and the sheaf over it is also holomorphic. In the conjectural picture built in [loc. cit] there is in particular a mirror symmetry between (BBB)-branes and (BAA)-branes in \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\), which can be described via a Fourier-Mukai transform in the complex structure \(I_{1}\); note that the structure group considered here, \(\text{GL} \left(n, \mathbb{C} \right)\), is Langlands self-dual. The authors of this article introduce new types of dual branes in \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\) that are of particular importance. On the one hand, for a degree \(n\) connected unramified cover \(p:C \to X\) of \(X\), let \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)^{p}\) be the locus of Higgs bundles obtained as a pushforward under \(p\) of Higgs bundles in \(T^{*}\text{Jac}^{d} \left( C \right)\), where \(n\) and \(d\) are as originally considered. The space \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)^{p}\) is a hyperholomorphic subvariety, and the pair \(\left( \textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)^{d}, \mathcal{F} \right)\), for \(\mathcal{F}\) a rank \(n\) coherent, hyperholomorphic sheaf on \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)^{p}\) canonically associated to a flat line bundle \(F\) over \(C\), is, in fact, a (BBB)-brane. The authors call these branes, \textit{rank n Narasimhan-Ramanan (BBB)-branes}, inspired by the work of M. Narasimhan and S. Ramanan on fixed point varieties for an action on \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\). The family of (BAA)-branes constructed in the article is also inspired by the work of M. Narasimhan and S. Ramanan, in particular on the Hecke modifications of vector bundles. Thus, for \(B^{p} \subset B_{X,n}\) the singular locus of the Hitchin system, and for a dense open subset \(B_{\text{ni}}^{p} \subset B^{p}\) of nodal and integral spectral curves, the (BAA)-branes introduced here are supported on the subvariety \(\text{NR}_{\text{ni}}^{p, \mathcal{J}} \subset \textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d \right)\) of those Higgs bundles over \(B_{\text{ni}}^{p}\) that are obtained as Hecke modifications of a Hitchin section of \(\textbf{M} _{X} \left( n,d + \delta \right)^{p} \to B^{p}\) constructed out of a holomorphic line bundle \(\mathcal{J}\) on \(C\), where \(\delta\) is the length of the corresponding integral and nodal spectral curve. The main theorem of the article establishes that the (BBB)-branes and the (BAA)-branes constructed are \textit{fiberwise dual} and this is actually proved via an \textit{explicit} fiberwise Fourier-Mukai transform on the fibers over \(B_{\text{ni}}^{p}\). Many interesting applications are expected to follow from this work as this includes the first example of dual branes over the singular locus of the Hitchin fiber with an explicit Fourier-Mukai transform describing the mirror symmetry. A number of these directions is already suggested by the authors and discussed in the article.