Sheaves on surfaces and virtual invariants (Q6195655)

This is a scintillating survey on a set of the authors' conjectures on intersection numbers such as virtual Euler characteristics, Verlinde numbers [\textit{J. Rukavicka}, Inf. Process. Lett. 156, Article ID 105917, 6 p. (2020; Zbl 1478.68270)] and Segre numbers with applications to Vafa-Witten theory [\textit{C. Vafa} and \textit{E. Witten}, Nucl. Phys., B 431, No. 1--2, 3--77 (1994; Zbl 0964.81522)], \(K\)-theoretic S-duality, a rank 2 Dijkgaarf-Moore-Verlinde formula [\textit{R. Dijkgraaf} et al., Commun. Math. Phys. 185, No. 1, 197--209 (1997; Zbl 0872.32006)] and a virtual Segre-Verlinde correspondence. A key role is played by Mochizuki's formula [\textit{T. Mochizuki}, Donaldson type invariants for algebraic surfaces. Transition of moduli stacks. Berlin: Springer (2009; Zbl 1177.14003), Theorem 7.5.2] for descendent Donaldson invariants. The synopsis of the paper goes as follows. Let \((S,H)\) be a smooth polarized surface with Betti number \(b_1(S)=0\). For \(\rho\in{\mathbb Z}_{>0}\) and prescribed Chern classes \(c_1,c_2\) we denote by \(M:=M_S^H(\rho,c_1,c_2)\) the moduli space of Gieseker semistable \(H\)-semistable torsionfree sheaves on \(S\) of rank \(\rho\) and with the prescribed Chern classes. \begin{itemize} \item[\S 2] is concerned with virtual Euler characteristics, dealing with \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] a conjecture for the virtual Euler characteristics of \(M\)\ for rank \(\rho=2\) [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Commun. Math. Phys. 376, No. 1, 1--49 (2020; Zbl 1440.14253), Conj. 6.7] (\S 2.1), \item[(2)] application to Vafa-Witten invariants [\textit{T. Laarakker}, Geom. Topol. 24, No. 6, 2781--2828 (2020; Zbl 1506.14111); Sel. Math., New Ser. 27, No. 4, Paper No. 56, 28 p. (2021; Zbl 1474.14020)] (\S 2.2), \item[(3)] a conjecture for the virtual Euler characteristics for rank 3 [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Conjecture 1.1] (\S 2.3), and \item[(4)] application to S-duality in rank 3 [\textit{R. P. Thomas}, Commun. Math. Phys. 378, No. 2, 1451--1500 (2020; Zbl 1464.14060), Theorem 5.23; \textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Proposition 4.10] (\S 2.4). \end{itemize} \item[\S 3] is concerned with refinements of the above two conjectures, addressing \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] a conjecture for virtual \(\chi_{y}\)-genera [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Commun. Math. Phys. 376, No. 1, 1--49 (2020; Zbl 1440.14253), Conj. 6.7; \textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Conjecture 1.1] (\S 3.1), \item[(2)] application to \(K\)-theoretic S-duality [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Propositions 4.8 and 4.10] (\S 3.2), \item[(3)] a conjecture for virtual elliptic genera [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Conjectures 1.1 and 7.7] (\S 3.3), and \item[(4)] a conjecture for cobordism classes [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 14, No. 3--4, 467--513 (2018; Zbl 1455.14105), Conjectures 1.2 and 7.7] (\S 3.4). \end{itemize} \item[\S 4] is concerned with virtual Verlinde numbers, addressing \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] results in [\textit{G. Ellingsrud} et al., J. Algebr. Geom. 10, No. 1, 81--100 (2001; Zbl 0976.14002); \textit{A. Marian} et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 24, No. 8, 2979--3015 (2022; Zbl 1495.14006)] with a conjecture in [\textit{A. Marian} et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 24, No. 8, 2979--3015 (2022; Zbl 1495.14006)] (\S 4.1), \item[(2)] a conjecture for rank 2 [\textit{L. Göttsche} et al., Forum Math. Sigma 9, Paper No. e5, 31 p. (2021; Zbl 1457.14024), Conjecture 1.2] (\S 4.2), \item[(3)] discussion on an extension of the conjecture in (2) to Higgs pairs (\S 4.3), \item[(4)] a conjecture for arbitrary rank [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 106, No. 3, 2562--2608 (2022; Zbl 1523.14022)] (\S 4.4), and \item[(5)] a conjecture for virtual Serre duality [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 106, No. 3, 2562--2608 (2022; Zbl 1523.14022)] (\S 4.5). \end{itemize} \item[\S 5] is concerned with virtual Segre numbers, discussing \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] the remarkable theorem of Marian-Oprea-Pandhaaripande [\textit{A. Marian} et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 24, No. 8, 2979--3015 (2022; Zbl 1495.14006)] (\S 5.1), \item[(2)] a conjecture for arbitrary rank [\textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 106, No. 3, 2562--2608 (2022; Zbl 1523.14022)] (\S 5.2), \item[(3)] a conjecture for virtual Segre-Verlinde correspondence [\textit{A. Marian} et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 24, No. 8, 2979--3015 (2022; Zbl 1495.14006); \textit{L. Göttsche} and \textit{M. Kool}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 106, No. 3, 2562--2608 (2022; Zbl 1523.14022)] (\S 5.3), and \item[(4)] three examples (\S 5.4). \end{itemize} \item[\S 6] shows that the virtual invariants of Gieseker-Maruyama moduli spaces are determined by a universal function in Chern numbers and Seiberg-Witten invariants. The main ingredient for the universality result is Mochizuki's formula for descendent Donaldson invariants. \S 6.1 is devoted to a remarkable formula in \textit{T. Mochizuki}'s monograph [Donaldson type invariants for algebraic surfaces. Transition of moduli stacks. Berlin: Springer (2009; Zbl 1177.14003), Theorem 7.5.2]. \S 6.2 derives a universal function that determines the virtual Euler characteristics of all rank 2 Gieseker-Maruyama moduli spaces on any smooth polarized surface \(\left( S,H\right) \)\ satisfying \(b_{1}\left( S\right)=0 \)\ and \(p_{g}\left( S\right) >0\). \S 6.3 provides an algorithm for calculating the universal functions \(A_{i}\left( t,q\right) \)\ explicitly up to a certain order in \(q\). \end{itemize} For the entire collection see [Zbl 1492.53003].