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In algebraic geometry, a moduli space of (algebraic) curves is a geometric space (typically a scheme or an algebraic stack) whose points represent isomorphism classes of algebraic curves. It is thus a special case of a
moduli space In mathematics, in particular algebraic geometry, a moduli space is a geometric space (usually a scheme or an algebraic stack) whose points represent algebro-geometric objects of some fixed kind, or isomorphism classes of such objects. Such spac ...
. Depending on the restrictions applied to the classes of algebraic curves considered, the corresponding moduli problem and the moduli space is different. One also distinguishes between
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and coarse moduli spaces for the same moduli problem. The most basic problem is that of moduli of smooth complete curves of a fixed
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
. Over the field of complex numbers these correspond precisely to compact Riemann surfaces of the given genus, for which Bernhard Riemann proved the first results about moduli spaces, in particular their dimensions ("number of parameters on which the complex structure depends").


Moduli stacks of stable curves

The moduli stack \mathcal_ classifies families of smooth projective curves, together with their isomorphisms. When g > 1, this stack may be compactified by adding new "boundary" points which correspond to stable nodal curves (together with their isomorphisms). A curve is
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
if it is complete, connected, has no singularities other than double points, and has only a finite group of automorphisms. The resulting stack is denoted \overline_. Both moduli stacks carry universal families of curves. Both stacks above have dimension 3g-3; hence a stable nodal curve can be completely specified by choosing the values of 3g-3 parameters, when g > 1. In lower genus, one must account for the presence of smooth families of automorphisms, by subtracting their number. There is exactly one complex curve of genus zero, the Riemann sphere, and its group of isomorphisms is PGL(2). Hence the dimension of \mathcal_0 is equal to :\begin\dim(\text) - \dim(\text) &= 0 - \dim(\mathrm(2))\\ &= -3 .\end Likewise, in genus 1, there is a one-dimensional space of curves, but every such curve has a one-dimensional group of automorphisms. Hence, the stack \mathcal_1 has dimension 0.


Construction and irreducibility

It is a non-trivial theorem, proved by Pierre Deligne and David Mumford, that the moduli stack \mathcal_g is irreducible, meaning it cannot be expressed as the union of two proper substacks. They prove this by analyzing the locus H_g of
stable curve In algebraic geometry, a stable curve is an algebraic curve that is asymptotically stable in the sense of geometric invariant theory. This is equivalent to the condition that it is a complete connected curve whose only singularities are ordinary ...
s in the Hilbert scheme :\mathrm_^ of tri-canonically embedded curves (from the embedding of the very ample \omega_C^ for every curve) which have
Hilbert polynomial In commutative algebra, the Hilbert function, the Hilbert polynomial, and the Hilbert series of a graded commutative algebra finitely generated over a field are three strongly related notions which measure the growth of the dimension of the homoge ...
P_g(n) = (6n-1)(g-1) (note: this can be computed using the Riemann–Roch theorem). Then, the stack : _g / \mathrm(5g-6)/math> is a construction of the moduli space \mathcal_g. Using Deformation Theorysection 1, Deligne and Mumford show this stack is smooth and use the stack :\mathrm_S(C,C') of isomorphisms between stable curves to show that \mathcal_g has finite stabilizers, hence it is a Deligne–Mumford stack (named after their paper). Moreover, they find a stratification of H_g assection 3 :H_g^o \coprod H_ \coprod \cdots \coprod H_, where * H_g^o is the subscheme of smooth stable curves, * H_ is an irreducible component of S^* = H_g \setminus H_g^o, and analyze the components of \mathcal_g^0 = H_g^0/\mathrm(5g-6) (as a GIT quotient). If there existed multiple components of H_g^o, none of them would be complete. Also, any component of H_g must contain non-singular curves. Consequently, the singular locus S^* is connected, hence it is contained in a single component of H_g. Furthermore, because every component intersects S^*, all components must be contained in a single component, hence the coarse space H_g is irreducible. From the general theory of algebraic stacks, this implies the stack quotient \mathcal_g is irreducible.


Properness

Properness, or compactness for orbifolds, follows from a theorem on stable reduction on curves. This can be found using a theorem of Grothendieck regarding the stable reduction of Abelian varieties, and showing its equivalence to the stable reduction of curves.section 5.2


Coarse moduli spaces

One can also consider the coarse moduli spaces representing isomorphism classes of smooth or stable curves. These coarse moduli spaces were actually studied before the notion of moduli stack was introduced. In fact, the idea of a moduli stack was introduced by Deligne and Mumford in an attempt to prove the projectivity of the coarse moduli spaces. In recent years, it has become apparent that the stack of curves is actually the more fundamental object. The coarse moduli spaces have the same dimension as the stacks when g > 1; however, in genus zero the coarse moduli space has dimension zero, and in genus one, it has dimension one.


Examples of low genus moduli spaces


Genus 0

Determining the geometry of the moduli space of genus 0 curves can be established using deformation Theory. The number of moduli for a genus 0 curve, e.g. \mathbb^1, is given by the cohomology group
H^1(C,T_C)
With Serre duality this cohomology group is isomorphic to
\begin H^1(C,T_C) &\cong H^0(C, \omega_C\otimes T_C^\vee) \\ &\cong H^0(C, \omega_C^) \end
for the dualizing sheaf \omega_C. But, using Riemann–Roch shows the degree of the canonical bundle is -2, so the degree of \omega_C^ is -4, hence there are no global sections, meaning
H^0(C,\omega_C^) = 0
showing there are no deformations of genus 0 curves. This proves \mathcal_0 is just a single point, and the only genus 0 curves is given by \mathbb^1. The only technical difficulty is the automorphism group of \mathbb^1 is the algebraic group \text(2,\mathbb), which rigidifies once three points on \mathbb^1 are fixed, so most authors take \mathcal_0 to mean \mathcal_.


Genus 1

The genus 1 case is one of the first well-understood cases of moduli spaces, at least over the complex numbers, because isomorphism classes of elliptic curves are classified by the J-invariant
j: \mathcal_, _ \to \mathbb^1_\mathbb
where \mathcal_, _=\mathcal_\times_ \text(\mathbb). Topologically, \mathcal_, _ is just the affine line, but it can be compactified to a stack with underlying topological space \mathbb^1_\mathbb by adding a stable curve at infinity. This is an elliptic curve with a single cusp. The construction of the general case over \text(\mathbb) was originally completed by Deligne and Rapoport. Note most authors consider the case of genus one curves with one marked point as the origin of the group since otherwise the stabilizer group in a hypothetical moduli space \mathcal_1 would have stabilizer group at the point \in \mathcal_1 given by the curve, since elliptic curves have an Abelian group structure. This adds unneeded technical complexity to this hypothetical moduli space. On the other hand, \mathcal_ is a smooth Deligne–Mumford stack.


Genus 2


Affine parameter space

In genus 2 it is a classical result that all such curves are hyperelliptic,pg 298 so the moduli space can be determined completely from the branch locus of the curve using the Riemann–Hurwitz formula. Since an arbitrary genus 2 curve is given by a polynomial of the form :y^2 - x(x-1)(x-a)(x-b)(x-c) for some uniquely defined a,b,c \in \mathbb^1, the parameter space for such curves is given by :\mathbb^3 \setminus (\Delta_ \cup \Delta_ \cup \Delta_), where \Delta_ corresponds to the locus i \neq j.


Weighted projective space

Using a weighted projective space and the Riemann–Hurwitz formula, a hyperelliptic curve can be described as a polynomial of the form :z^2 = ax^6 + bx^5y + cx^4y^2 + dx^3y^3 + ex^2y^4 + fxy^5 + gy^6 , where a,\ldots,f are parameters for sections of \Gamma(\mathbb(3,1), \mathcal(g)). Then, the locus of sections which contain no triple root contains every curve C represented by a point in \mathcal_2.


Genus 3

This is the first moduli space of curves which has both a hyperelliptic locus and a non-hyperelliptic locus. The non-hyperelliptic curves are all given by plane curves of degree 4 (using the
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), which are parameterized by the smooth locus in the Hilbert scheme of hypersurfaces :\mathrm_^ \cong \mathbb^. Then, the moduli space is stratified by the substacks :\mathcal_3 = _2/\mathrm(3))\coprod \mathcal_3^.


Birational geometry


Unirationality conjecture

In all of the previous cases, the moduli spaces can be found to be unirational, meaning there exists a dominant rational morphism
\mathbb^n --> \mathcal_g
and it was long expected this would be true in all genera. In fact, Severi had proved this to be true for genera up to 10. It turns out though for genus g \geq 23 all such moduli spaces are of general type, meaning they are not unirational. They accomplished this by studying the Kodaira dimension of the coarse moduli spaces :\kappa_g = \mathrm(\overline_), and found \kappa_g > 0 for g \geq 23. In fact, for g > 23, :\kappa_g = 3g - 3 = \dim(\mathcal_g), and hence \mathcal_g is of general type.


Geometric implication

This is significant geometrically because it implies any linear system on a ruled variety cannot contain the universal curve \mathcal_g.


Stratification of boundary of \mathcal_g

The moduli space \overline_ has a natural stratification on the boundary \partial\overline_ whose points represent singular genus g curves. It decomposes into strata :\partial\overline_ = \coprod_ \Delta_h^*, where * \Delta_h^* \cong \overline_ \times \overline_ for 1 \leq h < g/2. * \Delta_0^* \cong \overline_ / (\Z/2) where the action permutes the two marked points. * \Delta_ \cong (\overline_ \times \overline_) / (\Z/2) whenever g is even. The curves lying above these loci correspond to * A pair of curves C, C' connected at a double point. * The
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of a genus g curve at a single double point singularity. * A pair of curves of the same genus connected at a double point up to permutation.


Stratification of \mathcal_2

For the genus 2 case, there is a stratification given by :\begin \partial \overline_2 &= \Delta_0^* \coprod \Delta_1^* \\ &= \overline_/(\Z/2) \coprod (\overline_1\times \overline_1)/(\Z/2) \end. Further analysis of these strata can be used to give the generators of the Chow ring A^*(\overline_2) proposition 9.1.


Moduli of marked curves

One can also enrich the problem by considering the moduli stack of genus g nodal curves with n marked points, pairwise distinct and distinct from the nodes. Such marked curves are said to be stable if the subgroup of curve automorphisms which fix the marked points is finite. The resulting moduli stacks of smooth (or stable) genus g curves with n marked points are denoted \mathcal_ (or \overline_), and have dimension 3g-3 + n. A case of particular interest is the moduli stack \overline_ of genus 1 curves with one marked point. This is the stack of elliptic curves. Level 1
modular form In mathematics, a modular form is a (complex) analytic function on the upper half-plane satisfying a certain kind of functional equation with respect to the Group action (mathematics), group action of the modular group, and also satisfying a grow ...
s are sections of line bundles on this stack, and level ''N'' modular forms are sections of line bundles on the stack of elliptic curves with level ''N'' structure (roughly a marking of the points of order ''N'').


Boundary geometry

An important property of the compactified moduli spaces \overline_ is that their boundary can be described in terms of moduli spaces \overline_ for genera g' < g. Given a marked, stable, nodal curve one can associate its ''dual graph'', a graph with vertices labelled by nonnegative integers and allowed to have loops, multiple edges and also numbered half-edges. Here the vertices of the graph correspond to irreducible components of the nodal curve, the labelling of a vertex is the arithmetic genus of the corresponding component, edges correspond to nodes of the curve and the half-edges correspond to the markings. The closure of the locus of curves with a given dual graph in \overline_ is isomorphic to the stack quotient of a product \prod_v \overline_ of compactified moduli spaces of curves by a finite group. In the product the factor corresponding to a vertex ''v'' has genus gv taken from the labelling and number of markings n_v equal to the number of outgoing edges and half-edges at ''v''. The total genus ''g'' is the sum of the gv plus the number of closed cycles in the graph. Stable curves whose dual graph contains a vertex labelled by g_v=g (hence all other vertices have g_v=0 and the graph is a tree) are called "rational tail" and their moduli space is denoted \mathcal^_. Stable curves whose dual graph is a tree are called "compact type" (because the Jacobian is compact) and their moduli space is denoted \mathcal^_.


See also

*
Moduli of marked curves Modulus is the diminutive from the Latin word ''modus'' meaning measure or manner. It, or its plural moduli, may refer to the following: Physics, engineering and computing * Moduli (physics), scalar fields for which the potential energy functio ...
* Witten conjecture *
Tautological ring In algebraic geometry, the tautological ring is the subring of the Chow ring of the moduli space of curves generated by tautological classes. These are classes obtained from 1 by pushforward along various morphisms described below. The tautological ...
* Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch theorem


References


Classic references

* * *


Books on moduli of curves

* * * Geometry of Algebraic Curves, Volume II, Arbarello Enrico, Cornalba Maurizio, Griffiths Phillip with a contribution by Joseph Daniel Harris. Series: Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften, Vol. 268, 2011, XXX, 963p. 112 illus., 30 illus. in color.


Cohomology and intersection theory

* *


External links


"Topology and geometry of the moduli space of curves"

"Moduli of Stable Maps, Gromov-Witten Invariants, and Quantum Cohomology"
{{Algebraic curves navbox Moduli theory Algebraic varieties