Desingularizations of the moduli space of rank 2 bundles over a curve (Q707416)

The moduli space \(M_0\) of semistable vector bundles of rank \(2\) with trivial determinant on a smooth curve of genus \(g\geq 3\) is a singular projective variety. \textit{C. S. Seshadri} constructed a desingularization \(S\) of \(M_0\) as the moduli space of parabolic vector bundles of rank \(4\), degree \(0\) with the endomorphism algebra of the underlying vector bundle isomorphic to a specialization of the matrix algebra \(M(2)\) [in: Proc. Int. symp. Algebraic Geometry, Kyoto 1977, 155--184 (1977; Zbl 0412.14005)]. Another desingularization of \(M_0\) was constructed by \textit{F. C. Kirwan} by successive blow ups of the singular strata [Ann. Math. (2) 122, 41--85 (1985; Zbl 0592.14011)]. The authors extend the isomorphism of stable points of \(K\) and \(S\) to a morphism \(K \to S\) which is a composite of two explicitly described blow downs. They prove that \(M_0\) has terminal singularities, trivial plurigenera and compute the stringy \(E\)-function of \(M_0\). They also compute the Betti numbers of Seshadri's desingularization in all degrees. The authors conjecture that the third desingularization of \(M_0\) by \textit{M. S. Narasimhan} and \textit{S. Ramanan} [in: C.P. Ramanujam - a tribute, Tata Inst. Fund. Res. Stud. Math., 8, 291--345 (1978; Zbl 0427.14002)] lies between \(K\) and \(S\) as the middle blow up.