Automorphisms of moduli spaces of vector bundles over a curve (Q5917916)

Let \(M(r,N)\) denote the moduli space of stable vector bundles of rank \(r\) with a fixed determinant \(N\) on a smooth complex projective integral curve of genus \(g \geq 4\). \textit{A. Kouvidakis} and \textit{T. Pantev} [Math. Ann. 302, No. 2, 225--268 (1995; Zbl 0841.14029)] had proved the following: Theorem. If \(r\) does not divide twice the degree of \(N\), then any automorphism of \(M(r,N)\) is of the form \(E \mapsto \sigma^*E \otimes L\) where \(E\in M(r,N)\, , \sigma\) is an automorphism of \(X\) and \(L\) is a line bundle on \(X\) such that \(L^r\otimes \sigma^*N \cong N\). If \(r\) divides twice the degree of \(N\), then any automorphism is of the above form or of the form \(E \mapsto \sigma^*E^* \otimes L\) where \(L\) is a line bundle on \(X\) such that \(L^r\cong \sigma^*N \otimes N\). \textit{J.-M. Ramanan} and \textit{S. Hwang} had given a different proof of this theorem [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 37, No. 5, 801--817 (2004; Zbl 1073.14046)]. The authors give another proof of the theorem, simplifying the proof of Ramanan and Hwang by constructing the nilpotent cone bundles from the Hitchin discriminant (the locus of singular spectral curves).