On compactifications of character varieties of \(n\)-punctured projective line (Q5962674)

As stated by the author, ``the purpose of this paper is to study the configuration of boundary divisors of compactifications of \(\text{SL}_r({\mathbb C})\)-character varieties. This study is motivated by a conjecture due to Simpson''. (The reviewer notes that the reference [\textit{C. T. Simpson}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 3, No. 3, 713--770 (1990; Zbl 0713.58012)] for this conjecture from the paper does not seem to be to an actual journal article.) In particular, the author constructs compactifications for a couple of special cases of character varieties (for \(\text{SL}_2\) and \(\text{SL}_3\)) by first constructing compactifications of the associated representation varieties and then taking the appropriate GIT-quotient. The first part of the paper is devoted to setting up notation and stating general results and quotients, before the main body of the paper deals with examples by explicit calculations with rings of invariants and matrices, plus other tools from GIT.