Towards the cohomology of moduli spaces of higher genus stable maps (Q2480680)

Consider the moduli space \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) of degree \(d\) stable maps from \(n\)-pointed curves of genus \(g\) to the projective space \(\mathbb P^r\) (for an introduction to stable maps, see [\textit{W.~Fulton} and \textit{R.~Pandharipande}, Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 62(2), 45--96 (1997; Zbl 0898.14018)]). For \(g=0\) this moduli space is an irreducible smooth orbifold, and its rational cohomology has been intensively studied in the last years. In the present paper, the author focuses on the case \(g=1\). The moduli space \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{1,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) is neither smooth nor irreducible, but \textit{R.~Vakil} and \textit{A.~Zinger} constructed in [Geom. Topol. 12, No. 1, 1--95 (2008; Zbl 1134.14009)] an orbifold desingularization \(\widetilde{\mathcal M}^0_{1,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) of its main component, i.e. of the closure in of \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{1,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) of the locus of stable maps with smooth domain. This desingularization is obtained by a sequence of blow-ups along smooth centers. The main result of the paper under review is that the rational cohomology of the Vakil--Zinger desingularization vanishes in odd degree \(k<11\). The proof is based on the use of virtual localization, which allows to work on the fixed locus of the \(\mathbb C^*\)-action on \(\widetilde{\mathcal M}^0_{1,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\). Then the claim follows from combining the explicit description of \(\widetilde{\mathcal M}^0_{1,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) given in [\textit{R.~Vakil} and \textit{A.~Zinger}, op. cit.] with known results on the rational cohomology of the moduli space of stable curves of genus \(\leq 1\). Note that generalizing this approach to genus \(g\geq 2\) seems out of reach at present, due to the extremely bad singularities of the space \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}(\mathbb P^r,d)\) [cf. \textit{R.~Vakil}, Invent. Math. 164, No. 3, 569--590 (2006; Zbl 1095.14006)].