A family of divisors on \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}\) and their log canonical models (Q2348128)

Determining birational models of a variety is a central question in algebraic geometry, which is commonly referred as the minimal model program or Mori's program. When the variety is a moduli space, its birational models often carry modular meanings. A typical example is the moduli space \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\) of stable genus \(g\) curves with \(n\) marked points, and Hassett-Keel initiated running the minimal model program for \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\). A series of important birational models of \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\) are produced by assigning the marked points a weight datum \(\mathcal{A} = (a_1, \ldots, a_n)\), due to \textit{B. Hassett} [Adv. Math. 173, No. 2, 316--352 (2003; Zbl 1072.14014)] and denoted by \(\overline{M}_{g,\mathcal{A}}\), where \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\) corresponds to the special case when all \(a_i = 1\). In the paper under review, the main theorem is that \(\overline{M}_{g,\mathcal{A}}\) can be identified with the log canonical model of \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\) for the divisor \(K_{\overline{M}_{g,n}} + 11\lambda + \sum_{i=1}^n a_i \psi_i\), which generalizes the author's previous work [\textit{H.-B. Moon}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 141, No. 11, 3771--3785 (2013; Zbl 1358.14016)] from \(g=0\) to any genus. A similar result was also obtained earlier by \textit{M. Fedorchuk} [Math. Res. Lett. 18, No. 4, 663--675 (2011; Zbl 1273.14055)]. In order to prove the main theorem, as a key ingredient the author establishes a positivity result of certain divisor on \(\overline{M}_{g,\mathcal{A}}\).