The Poincaré polynomial of the pointed linear sigma quotient (Q536137)

The paper under review computes the Poincaré polynomial of the pointed linear sigma quotient. This quotient is birational to the the moduli space of stable maps \(\overline{M}_{0,n}(\mathbb{P}^{r},d)\) which is used to calculate its Betti numbers. Let \(f:\mathbb{P}^{1}\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^{r}\) be a degree \(d\) morphism given by \((r+1)\) homogeneous degree-\(d\) polynomials on two variables with no common zero, together with a choice of \(n\) distinct points on the source \(\mathbb{P}^{1}\). This object corresponds to the base point free locus \[ ((\mathbb{P}^{1})^{n}\,\backslash\, \Delta)\times (f_{0}:\ldots :f_{r})\subset (\mathbb{P}^{1})^{n}\times \mathbb{P}\big(\bigoplus_{0}^{r}H^{0}(\mathbb{P}^{1},\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{P}^{1}}(d))\big) :=(\mathbb{P}^{1})^{n}\times \mathbb{P}^{r}_{d}\; , \] and the compactification on the right is called the \textit{pointed sigma model}. It comes with a natural \(G=\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{C})\) action which can be linearized to an ample line bundle \(\mathcal{L}\) to form the GIT quotient \(((\mathbb{P}^{1})^{n}\times \mathbb{P}^{r}_{d})^{ss}(\mathcal{L})/\!\!/G\), called the \textit{pointed linear sigma quotient}. Based on results from a previous paper of the same author [Ill. J. Math. 51, No. 3, 1003--1025 (2007; Zbl 1166.14006)] about a GIT construction of the moduli space of stable maps, the GIT stable and the GIT semistable loci are computed. The main result of the present article, Theorem 2.1, consists on exhibit an explicit formula for the Poincare polynomial of such GIT quotient (under some restrictions of \(n\), \(r\) and \(d\)) for which, both GIT stable and semistable loci, do coincide, in which case the quotient is a projective variety. Using results from [loc. cit.], the pointed linear sigma quotient \(((\mathbb{P}^{1})^{n}\times \mathbb{P}^{r}_{d})^{ss}/\!\!/G\) is birational to the space of stable maps \(\overline{M}_{0,n}(\mathbb{P}^{r},d)\), via the Givental map. If both spaces have the same Picard number, it can be proved that the birational map is an isomorphism, and this leads to compute the Betti numbers of several moduli spaces of stable maps in section \(3\).