The Prym map of degree-7 cyclic coverings (Q2629781)

Let \(f:Y\to X\) be a degree \(p\) morphism between smooth projective complex curves, and let \(P(f)\) be the Prym variety associated to the covering; that is, the connected component of the kernel of the norm map \(\text{Nm}_f:JY\to JX\). This induces a morphism \[ \text{Pr}_{g,p}:\mathcal{R}_{g,p}\to \mathcal{B}_D \] that takes \(f\mapsto P(f)\), where \(\mathcal{R}_{g,p}\) is the moduli space of degree \(p\) cyclic étale covers of genus \(g\) curves and \(\mathcal{B}_D\) is the moduli space of polarized abelian varieties of dimension \((p-1)(g-1)\) and type \(D\) that have an automorphism of order \(p\) that preserves the polarization. The purpose of this paper is to study this map in the case \((g,p)=(2,7)\). The main theorem of the paper is the fact that the Prym map \(\text{Pr}_{2,7}\) is generically finite of degree 10. This is carried out in the following three steps: 1. Calculate the dimension of \(\mathcal{B}_D\) via Shimura's theory of abelian varieties with endomorphism structure. This is equal to 3, the same dimension as \(\mathcal{R}_{2,7}\). 2. Extend the map \(\text{Pr}_{2,7}\) to a partial compactification of \(\mathcal{R}_{2,7}\) by looking at certain \(\mathbb{Z}/7\mathbb{Z}\)-covers of stable curves. 3. Analyze the degree of (and the local multiplicities along) the fiber of \(\text{Pr}_{2,7}\) over the abelian sixfold \(E^6\) where \(E\) is an elliptic curve (along with a certain polarization of type \((1,1,1,1,1,7)\)).