Chow group of 1-cycles on the moduli space of vector bundles of rank 2 over a curve (Q2491126)

Let \(X\) be a non-singular projective curve of genus \(\geq 3\). For \(x\in X\), let \(M_x\) denote the moduli space of stable bundles over \(X\) of rank 2 with determinant \({\mathcal O}_X(x)\). For an algebraic variety \(Y\), denote by \(\text{CH}_i(Y)\) the Chow group of \(i\)-cycles on \(Y\) modulo rational equivalence, by \(\text{CH}_i(Y)_{\text{hom}}\) the subgroup of \(i\)-cycles homologous to 0, and by \(\text{CH}^{\mathbb Q}_i(Y)\) the Chow groups with rational coefficients. The main theorem of this paper is that there is a canonical isomorphism \(\text{CH}^{\mathbb Q}_0(X)\cong \text{CH}^{\mathbb Q}_1(M_x)\). The authors' argument goes as follows. First, they construct a natural homomorphism \(\chi : \text{CH}_0(J)\rightarrow \text{CH}_1(M_x)\), where \(J\) is the Jacobian of \(X\). Then, using the existence of a certain type of degeneration of Hecke curves, they show that the Pontryagin square \(I^{* 2}\) of \(I:= \text{CH}_0(J)_{\text{hom}}\) lies in the kernel of \(\chi \). Now \(I^{* 2}\) is the second term of Bloch's filtration on \(\text{CH}_0(J)\) and by a known property of this filtration we have that \(\text{CH}_0(J)/I^{*2}\cong J\). From the Abel-Jacobi theorem, \(\text{CH}_0(X)_{\text{hom}}\cong J\) and so the map \(\chi | _{\text{CH}_0(J)_{\text{hom}}}: \text{CH}_0(J)_{\text{hom}}\rightarrow \text{CH}_1(M_x)\) induces a homomorphism \({\overline \chi }: \text{CH}_0(X)_{\text{hom}}\rightarrow \text{CH}_1(M_x)_{\text{hom}}\). The theorem then follows quickly by using a result of S. Ramanan on the intermediate Jacobian of \(M_x\). The authors point out that their method does not give any information about higher Chow groups and that there are a number of difficulties in generalizing it to the moduli of vector bundles of higher rank.