Extending \({\bar \partial}\) to singular Riemann surfaces (Q583431)

This article is devoted to the study of the \({\bar \partial}\) operator on Riemann surfaces with nodes. If X is a compact family of Riemann surfaces given by a map of X into \(\bar M_ g\), the Deligne-Mumford compactification of the moduli space \(M_ g\), then the family of operators \(\{\) \({\bar \partial}_ x\}_{x\in X}\) is a continuous family. The authors use the continuity of the \({\bar \partial}\) family to reprove the well known Riemann-Roch index formula ind(\({\bar \partial}(p))=(2p-1)(g-1)\) for the operator \[ {\bar \partial}_ p: C^{\infty}(K^ p(\Sigma (g)))\to C^{\infty}(K^ p\otimes \bar K(\Sigma (g))), \] on a Riemann surface \(\Sigma\) (g) of genus g. In this approach, the index is computed by passing to a limit point in moduli space, and comparing the limiting operator to the corresponding operator on a surface of lower genus. Some applications of these results to the computation of the Polyakov measure on \(M_ g\) in the Polyakov model for the bosonic string are discussed.