An intersection-theoretic proof of the Harer–Zagier fomula

DOI10.14231/AG-2023-004MaRDI QIDQ5879017zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Alessandro Giacchetto, Danilo Lewanski, Paul Norbury

Publication date 23 February 2023

Published in Algebraic Geometry (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.11137

zbMATH Keywords

Euler characteristicintersection theorymoduli of curvesHarer-Zagier formulaomega-classes

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Exact enumeration problems, generating functions (05A15) Families, moduli of curves (algebraic) (14H10) Vector bundles on curves and their moduli (14H60) Enumerative problems (combinatorial problems) in algebraic geometry (14N10)

Abstract: We provide an intersection-theoretic formula for the Euler characteristic of the moduli space of smooth curves. This formula reads purely in terms of Hodge integrals and, as a corollary, the standard calculus of tautological classes gives a new short proof of the Harer-Zagier formula. Our result is based on the Gauss-Bonnet formula, and on the observation that a certain parametrisation of the $Omega$-class - the Chern class of the universal $r$-th root of the twisted log canonical bundle - provides the Chern class of the log tangent bundle to the moduli space of smooth curves. Being $Omega$-classes by now employed in many enumerative problems, mostly recently found and at times surprisingly different from each other, we dedicate some work to produce an extensive list of their general properties: extending existing ones, finding new ones, and writing down some only known to the experts.

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Cited in

(8)

• Harer-Zagier formula via Fock space
• On some hyperelliptic Hurwitz–Hodge integrals
• A direct bijection for the Harer-Zagier formula
• A combinatorial proof of the Harer-Zagier formula
• Topological recursion for Masur–Veech volumes
• Virtual Euler characteristics via topological recursion
• On ELSV-type formulae and relations between \(\Omega\)-integrals via deformations of spectral curves
• Stable tree expressions with omega-classes and double ramification cycles

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