On the rational cohomology of moduli spaces of curves with level structures (Q658533)

Moduli spaces \(M^\Gamma\) of curves with level structures are obtained by taking the quotient of the Teichmüller space by a finite index subgroup \(\Gamma\) of the mapping class group. They yield natural coverings of the moduli space \(M_{g,n}\) of smooth genus \(g\) curves with \(n\) marked points. The authors investigate the rational cohomology of the canonical compactification \(\overline{M}^\Gamma\) over the moduli space \(\overline{M}_{g,n}\) of stable curves. In particular they show that \(H^1(\overline{M}^\Gamma, \mathbb{Q})=0\) and determine a set of free generators for \(Pic (\overline{M}^\Gamma)\otimes \mathbb{Q}\). In the special case of spin moduli spaces they get the vanishing of the third cohomology group and a complete description of the second cohomology group.