The Verlinde traces for \(SU_X(2,\xi )\) and blow-ups (Q6171181)

The setup of the paper is as follows. Let \(X\) be a smooth complex projective curve of genus \(\ge 2\). Next, let \(\mathrm{SU}_X(r,\xi)\) denote the moduli space of rank \(r\) vector bundles on \(X\) with fixed determinant \(\xi\) and let \(\mathcal{O}(\Theta)\) denote the determinantal line bundle on \(\mathrm{SU}_X(r,\xi)\). Suppose \(\xi\) is equipped with an \(\mathrm{Aut}(X)\)-linearization. Then, \(h\in \mathrm{Aut}(X)\) defines an automorphism \(\varphi_h\) of \(H^0(\mathrm{SU}_X(r,\xi),\mathcal{O}(n\Theta))\). The authors consider the problem of computing the trace of \(\varphi_h\). In the case where \(h\) is the identity, this is the same as computing \(\dim H^0(\mathrm{SU}_X(r,\xi),\mathcal{O}(n\Theta))\), which is a result due to Faltings (and others), known as the Verlinde formula. The strategy in the present work is to modify the approach used in [\textit{M. Thaddeus}, Invent. Math. 117, No. 2, 317--353 (1994; Zbl 0882.14003)] by using the Atiyah-Singer holomorphic Lefschetz theorem in lieu of the Riemann-Roch formula. Following Thaddeus, the authors mostly treat the rank \(2\) case. Let \(Z\subset \mathrm{Sym}^i(X)\) denote a connected component of the fixed locus of \(h\). By applying the holomorphic Lefschetz formula, the authors reduce the calculation of \(\mathrm{tr}(\varphi_h)\) to the calculation of some intersection numbers on \(Z\), depending on generalized Chern characters \(\mathrm{ch}_h(i_Z^*B_{i,m,n})\), where the \(B_{i,m,n}\) are certain sheaves on \(\mathrm{Sym}^i(X)\). The main result is a general calculation of \(\mathrm{ch}_h(i_Z^*B_{i,m,n})\). The case of \(h\) the hyperelliptic involution on a hyperelliptic curve is treated in \S10 as an application.