Infinitesimal deformations of Hitchin pairs and Hitchin map (Q2909460)

A Higgs bundle on a complex manifold \(X\) is a pair \((X,\theta)\), where \(E\) is a holomorphic vector bundle on \(X\) and and \(\theta\in H^0(X,\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^1_X)\), such that \(\theta\wedge\theta=0\). Hitchin pairs \((E,L,\theta)\) are generalizations of Higgs bundles: \(L\) is a holomorphic bundle on \(X\) and now \(\theta\in H^0(X,\mathcal End(E)\otimes L).\) This text study infinitesimal deformations of Higgs bundles and Hitchin pairs and give a description of the Hitchin map as a morphism of deformation theories; differential graded Lie algebras are used to analyze these deformations.NEWLINENEWLINEThe philosophy through the article is that in characteristic zero, every deformation problem is governed by a differential graded algebra, via the deformation functor associated to it, given by solutions of Maurer-Cartan equation modulo gauge action. Dglas techniques allow to preserve a lot of information in the deformation problem, and some classical results on first order deformations and obstructions can be obtained as easy consequences of definitions and formal constructions.NEWLINENEWLINEOne of the article's main goals is to find dglas that govern infinitesimal deformations of a Higgs bundle, of a pair (manifold, Higgs bundle), and of a Hitchin pair, and to obtain a description of first order deformations and obstructions from them. For the general case of deformations of a pair (manifold, Higgs bundle)\(=(X,E,\theta)\) the meaningful complex is NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\mathcal K:0\rightarrow\mathcal D^1(E)\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^{1}_{X}\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^{2}_{X}\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^{3}_{X}\rightarrow\cdots,NEWLINE\]NEWLINE where the differential \([-,\theta]\) at the level of \(\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^\ast_X\) is given by the composition of endomorphisms and the wedge product of forms, while at the first level it includes also the action of differential operators on forms via the Lie derivative.NEWLINENEWLINEA dgla is obtained, governing the infinitesimal deformations of the pair \((X,E,\theta)\), defining a dgla structure on the total complex of the Dolbeault resolutions of the above complex of sheaves NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\oplus_{p+q=\ast,p<\ast}A^{0,p}_X(\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^q_X)\oplus A^{0,\ast}_X(\mathcal D^1(E)).NEWLINE\]NEWLINE So the first main result is stated as:NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{The space of first order deformations of \((X,E,\theta)\) is canonically isomorphic to the first hypercohomology space of the complex of sheaves \(\mathcal K\) and obstructions are contained in the second hypercohomology space of it.}NEWLINENEWLINEFor the particular case of deformations of a Higgs bundle \((E,\theta)\), \(\mathcal K\) is substituted with the complex of sheaves: NEWLINE\[NEWLINE0\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^1_X\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^2_X\overset{[-,\theta]}\rightarrow\mathcal End(E)\otimes\Omega^3_X\rightarrow\cdotsNEWLINE\]NEWLINE for the general case of a Hitchin pair \((E,L,\theta)\), the complex to be considered is obtained by substituting in the above complex the sheaf \(\Omega^\ast_X\) with \(\bigwedge^\ast L\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe second main goal of the article is the study of the Hitchin map from deformations point of view. It is defined asNEWLINENEWLINENEWLINE\[NEWLINEH:\mathcal M\rightarrow\oplus_{k=1}^r H^0(X,\odot^k L),\text{ }H(E,\theta)=(\text{Tr}(\theta),\dots,\text{Tr}(\theta^r)),NEWLINE\]NEWLINE from the moduli space \(\mathcal M\) of Hitchin pairs on \(X\) to the space of global sections of the vector bundles \(\odot^k L\). The Hitchin map was induced by Simpson as a generalization of the determinant map studied by Hitchin in the curve case.NEWLINENEWLINETo study the Hitchin map in terms of deformation theory, the dgla approach is not convenient, and the author use the tool of \(L_\infty\) algebras. Theory of deformations via differential graded Lie algebras and via \(L_\infty\)-algebras is based on the principle that the local study of a moduli space is encoded by a dgla or an \(L_\infty\)-algebra conveniently chosen. Then every natural morphism between moduli spaces is induced by a morphism between the associated dglas or \(L_\infty\)-algebras. The authors make explicit an \(L_\infty\)-morphism \(h\) that induces the Hitchin map. As a direct consequence of this \(L_\infty\)-description and of \(L_\infty\)-techniques, the following result is obtained:NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{The obstructions to deform Hitchin pairs are contained in the kernel of the map induced at second cohomology level by the linear part of \(h\).}NEWLINENEWLINEThe article goes through the deformation theory both in the dgla and the \(L_\infty\) setting. The definitions and calculations are explicitly given, and is of great value. The results given are interesting for studying the corresponding moduli spaces, and the treatment and definition of the Hitchin map as induced by a map on \(L_\infty\)-level is very interesting. This principle could be used for the study of corresponding maps. All in all a very nice treatment and introduction to deformation theory and also to \(L_\infty\)-algebras.