Characteristic classes of cameral covers (Q2416403)

Let $\mathfrak{t}$ be a complex vector space, and let $W\subseteq GL(\mathfrak{t})$ be a finite subgroup generated by complex reflections. Given an $S$-scheme $C \to S$ with an action of $W$ on the left that fixes the map $C \to S$, $C$ is a $(W, \mathfrak{t})$-cameral cover of $S$ if there exists an étale cover $U \to S$, a map $U \to \mathfrak{t}/W$, and a $W$-equivariant isomorphism $U \times_{\mathfrak{t}/W} \mathfrak{t} \cong U \times_S C$ over $U$. That is, a cameral cover of $S$ is an $S$-scheme with $W$-action, which is locally isomorphic to a pullback of $\mathfrak{t}\rightarrow \mathfrak{t}/W$. \par Cameral covers are slightly more general than the notion of spectral covers since $W$ need not be a real reflection group. In the case where $\mathfrak{t}$ is the Lie algebra of a maximal torus in a connected reductive affine algebraic group $G$, where $W$ is its Weyl group, $(W, \mathfrak{t})$-cameral covers are closely related to $G$-Higgs bundles. \par Let $\mathcal{M}$ be the stack of cameral covers, and assume that a group $G$ admits the pair $(W ,\mathfrak{t})$. Let $\mathcal{H}$ be the stack of $G$-Higgs bundles. \par E. Dewey defines cohomological invariants (or ``characteristic classes'') of cameral covers and Higgs bundles by computing $H^*(\mathcal{M}, \mathbb{Q})$, where the main contributions in this manuscript are \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] the author computes the cup product, and \item[(2)] he identifies the elements of $H^*(\mathcal{M}, \mathbb{Q})$ concretely enough that, given a cameral cover $C\to S$, one can hope to identify its characteristic classes in $H^*(S, \mathbb{Q})$. \end{itemize} Furthermore, the author stratifies $\mathcal{M}$ into classifying spaces, also enabling one to obtain a similar description of $H^*(\mathcal{H}, \mathbb{Q})$. \par The computation of cohomological invariants is given in terms of hyperplane arrangements. Let $\mathcal{A}$ be the hyperplane arrangement in $\mathfrak{t}$ of the reflecting hyperplanes for the action of $W$, and let $L(\mathcal{A})$ be the intersection poset of $\mathcal{A}$. Let $X \in L(\mathcal{A})$, and let $\mathcal{A}_X \subset \mathcal{A}$ be the subarrangement consisting of hyperplanes that contain $X$. Define $X$ to be irreducible if $\mathcal{A}_X$ is irreducible. Let $\text{Irr } \mathcal{A}_X$ be the set of irreducible components of $\mathcal{A}_X$. Let $L^{\mu}(\mathcal{A})$ be the free abelian monoid on the tuples $(X, \mu)$, where $X \in L(\mathcal{A})$ is irreducible, $X \neq \mathfrak{t}$, and $(\text{codim } X \leq) \: \mu \in \mathbb{Z}$, modulo the relation $\prod_{i=1}^l (X_i, \mu_i) = \left( \bigcap_{i=1}^l X_i, \sum_{i=1}^l \mu_i \right) $ whenever $\bigcap_{i=1}^l X_i$ is irreducible. This monoid is graded by $\deg (X, \mu) = 2\mu$. Let $\kappa$ be a ring in which $\#W$ is a unit. The main result is Theorem 5.12 (page 19): if $\#W$ is invertible in $\kappa$, then $H^*(\mathcal{M}, \kappa) \cong \kappa[L^\mu(\mathcal{A})]^W$ as graded rings. By setting $(W, \mathfrak{t}) = (\Sigma_n, \mathbb{C}^{\oplus n})$, where $\Sigma_n$ is the symmetric group on $n$ letters, the characteristic classes of rank $n$ spectral covers are in bijection with certain weighted partitions of $n$. \par Dewey also computes the cohomology ring of the stack of abstract regular $G$-Higgs bundles (Theorem 7.16, page 29): $H^*(\mathcal{H})\cong \left( \mathbb{Q}[L^\mu(\mathcal{A})] \otimes H^*(BT) /I \right)^W$, where the ideal $I$ and the action of $W$ are defined in Proposition 7.15 (page 27); moreover, the natural map $\mathbb{Q}[L^\mu(\mathcal{A})]^W \to H^*(\mathcal{H})$ is induced by the Hitchin map.