Theta line bundles and the determinant of the Hodge bundle (Q4955697)

Let \(X@>f>>B\) be a family of abelian varieties of dimension \(g\) over an algebraically closed field \(k\), and let \({\mathcal L}\) be a symmetric line bundle on \(X\), trivialized along the zero section \(B@>s>>X\), which defines a polarization of type \(D=(d_1, \dots, d_g)\) on the fibres. A general theorem of \textit{G. Faltings} and \textit{Ch.-L. Chai} [``Degenerations of abelian varieties'' (1990; Zbl 0744.14031)], which even holds for abelian schemes, states that \(8d^3\cdot \det(f_*{\mathcal L})= -4d^4\cdot s^*\omega_{X/B}\) in \(\text{Pic}(B)\), where \(\omega_{X/B}\) is the relative dualizing sheaf on \(X\) and \(d:=d_1\cdot\dots\cdot d_g\). The author proves a refinement of this theorem for the special case of complex-analytic abelian varieties. More precisely, he shows that the torsion factor in the Faltings-Chai identity can be improved in the complex case. The main results are the following two theorems. Theorem A: Let \((f:X\to B,{\mathcal L})\) be a family of complex abelian varieties of dimension \(g\) and polarization type \(D=(d_1, \dots, d_g)\), where \(d_1|\cdots |d_g\) and \(d:=d_1\cdot\dots\cdot d_g\). Then \[ 8\cdot\det (f_*{\mathfrak L})= -4d\cdot s^*\omega_{X/B} \] in \(\text{Pic}(B)\), except when \(3 |d_g\) and \(\text{gcd} (3,d_{g-1})=1\), in which case the identity becomes \(24\cdot \det(F_*{\mathcal L})= -12d\cdot s^*\omega_{X/B}\). Theorem B: If, under the assumptions of theorem A, the line bundle \({\mathfrak L}\) is totally symmetric and \(g\geq 3\), then \(\det(f_*{\mathfrak L})= -12d\cdot s^*\omega_{X/B}\), except when \(3|d_g\) and \(\text{gcd} (3,d_{g-1})=1\), in which case the identity becomes \(3\cdot\det (f_*{\mathfrak L})=-{3d\over 2}\cdot s^*\omega_{X/B}\). At the end of the paper, theorem B is applied to the case of the universal Jacobian fibration \(f:J^{g-1}\to M_g\) over the moduli space \(M_g\) of compact Riemann surfaces of genus \(g\). This fibration is an abelian torsor which parametrizes line bundles of degree \(g-1\) on the fibres of the universal curve \(\psi: {\mathcal C}\to M^0_g\) over the moduli space \(M_g^0\subset M_g\) of Riemann surfaces without automorphisms, i.e., over the smooth locus in \(M_g\). This application transpires the following: Let \(\Theta\) be the canonical theta bundle on the universal Jacobian \(J^{g-1}\) and let \(\lambda :=\det (\psi_* \omega_{C/M^0})\) be the Hodge line bundle on \(M_g^0\). Then \[ \det \bigl(f_* (\Theta^{\otimes n})\bigr)= \textstyle {1\over 2} n^g(n-1)\cdot \lambda \] in \(\text{Pic} (M^0_g)\) for any natural number \(n\). Theorems A and B are proved by carefully refining some theta transformation formulae, in order to obtain suitable transition functions for the line bundle \(\det(f_*{\mathcal L})\) in \(\text{Pic}(B)\). As for theorem C, the author gives two different proofs, one of which utilizes special calculations in the Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch algebra for universal Jacobians à la \textit{L. Moret-Bailly} [``Princeaux de variétés abeliennes'', Astérisque 129 (1985; Zbl 0595.14032)]. The paper is written in a very thorough, comprehensive and clear style, and the results presented here are certainly important and beautiful.