On the topology of \(\mathcal{M}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) (Q6851567)

Let \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}\) denote the moduli space of genus zero Riemann surfaces with \(n+1\) marked points, and let \({\overline{\mathcal{M}}}_{0,n+1}\) denote the Deligne-Mumford compactification of \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}\). In this paper, the author studies the topology of the quotients \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\). He first presents an embedding of \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) into the weighted projective space \({\mathbb{P}}(n, n-1,\ldots, 2)\) as an open, dense subset. He then uses this result to prove that \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) is not a topological manifold for any \(n\geq 4\). He also proves that \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) and \({\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) are simply connected.\N\NThe author constructs a combinatorial model for \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) by using cacti. The key observation is that \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) is homotopy equivalent to \(C_n({\mathbb{C}})/S^1\), the quotient of the unordered configuration space by the circle action. He uses cacti to build a CW-complex homotopy equivalent to \(C_n({\mathbb{C}})/S^1\). The model is useful for computations when \(n\) is small. The author uses it to compute \(H_\ast({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n;{\mathbb{Z}})\) for small values of \(n\). The computations prove that \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,n+1}/\Sigma_n\) is contractible for any \(n\leq 5\), while it has non-trivial homology for \(n=6\). He also proves that \({\mathcal{M}}_{0,p+1}/\Sigma_p\) and \({{\mathcal{M}}}_{0,p+2}/\Sigma_{p+1}\) have no \(p\)-torsion where \(p\) is a prime number.