The locus of curves with \(D_n\)-symmetry inside \(\mathfrak M_g\) (Q276279)

The moduli space of genus \(g \geq 2\), \({\mathfrak M}_{g}\), is a complex orbifold of dimension \(3(g-1)\) that parametrizes the conformal classes of closed Riemann surfaces of genus \(g\). The branch locus of \({\mathfrak M}_{g}\) consists of those classes of Riemann surfaces admitting non-trivial conformal automorphisms. The moduli space can be seen as the quotient space \({\mathcal T}_{g}/\mathrm{Map}_{g}\), where \({\mathcal T}_{g}\) is Teichmüller space and \(\mathrm{Map}_{g}\) the mapping class group of genus \(g\). Given a finite subgroup \(H\) of \(\mathrm{Map}_{g}\), one may consider the locus of its fixed point \(\mathrm{Fix}(H) \subset {\mathcal T}_{g}\) and its projection \({\mathfrak M}_{g}(H)\) in \({\mathfrak M}_{g}\); which turns out to be irreducible. The branch locus of \({\mathfrak M}_{g}\) is the union of all these loci \({\mathfrak M}_{g}(H)\), where \(H\) runs over all finite subgroup of \(\mathrm{Map}_{g}\). In the present paper, the authors consider those subgroups isomorphic to the dihedral group \(D_{n}\) and study the irreducible components associated to them. The key point is that there may be different subgroups \(H, H'\) of \(\mathrm{Map}_{g}\), both isomorphic to \(D_{n}\), so that \(\mathrm{Fix}(H) \subset \mathrm{Fix}(H')\). In that situation, the irreducible locus \({\mathfrak M}_{g}(H)\) will be contained inside the irreducible locus \({\mathfrak M}_{g}(H')\). So, it is important to determine those pairs \((H,H')\) satisfying such a property. In order to proceed with this, one needs to consider, for each subgroup \(H \cong D_{n}\) of \(\mathrm{Map}_{g}\) the subgroup \(G(H)=\cap_{C \in \mathrm{Fix}(H)} \mathrm{Aut}(C)\) and to see if it possible to find \(H' \cong D_{n}\) inside \(G(H)\) different from \(H\). As \(\mathrm{Fix}(G(H))=\mathrm{Fix}(H)\), their dimensions are the same. Using Fuchsian groups interpretations, to \(H\) and \(G(H)\) there are associated Fuchsian signatures and these signatures have the same Teichmüller dimension (as deformation spaces of Fuchsian groups). These situations were explicitly given by \textit{D. Singerman} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 6, 29--38 (1972; Zbl 0251.20052)]. So, the description of such situations can be carry out case by case.