Skip to main content
Log in

Rank two quadratic pairs and surface group representations

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Geometriae Dedicata Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Let X be a compact Riemann surface. A quadratic pair on X consists of a holomorphic vector bundle with a quadratic form which takes values in a fixed line bundle. We show that the moduli spaces of quadratic pairs of rank 2 are connected under some constraints on their topological invariants. As an application of our results we determine the connected components of the SO0(2, 3)-character variety of X.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beauville A., Narasimhan M.S., Ramanan S.: Spectral curves and the generalised theta divisor. J. Reine Angew. Math. 398, 169–179 (1989)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Biswas I., Ramanan S.: An infinitesimal study of the moduli of Hitchin pairs. J. Lond. Math. Soc. 49(2), 219–231 (1994)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Bradlow S.B.: Special metrics and stability for holomorphic bundles with global sections. J. Differ. Geom. 33, 169–213 (1991)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Bradlow, S., Daskalopoulos, G.D., García-Prada, O., Wentworth R.: Stable augmented bundles over Riemann surfaces. Vector bundles in algebraic geometry (Durham, 1993), London Math. Soc. Lecture Note Ser., vol. 208, pp. 15–67. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1995)

  5. Bradlow S.B., García-Prada O., Gothen P.B.: Surface group representations and U(p, q)-Higgs bundles. J. Diff. Geom. 64, 111–170 (2003)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Bradlow S.B., García-Prada O., Gothen P.B.: Moduli spaces of holomorphic triples over compact Riemann surfaces. Math. Ann. 328, 299–351 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Bradlow S.B., García-Prada O., Gothen P.B.: Maximal surface group representations in isometry groups of classical Hermitian symmetric spaces. Geome. Dedic. 122, 185–213 (2006)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Bradlow S.B., García-Prada O., Mundet i Riera I.: Relative Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondences for principal pairs. Q. J. Math. 54, 171–208 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Corlette K.: Flat G-bundles with canonical metrics. J. Diff. Geom. 28, 361–382 (1988)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. Donaldson, S.K.: Twisted harmonic maps and self-duality equations. Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. 55(3), 127–131 (1987)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. García-Prada, O., Gothen, P.B., Mundet i Riera I.: The Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence, Higgs pairs and surface group representations. Preprint arXiv:0909.4487v2

  12. García-Prada, O., Gothen, P.B., Mundet i Riera, I.: Higgs bundles and surface group representations in the real symplectic group. Preprint arXiv:0809.0576v3

  13. García-Prada, O., Gothen, P.B., Muñoz, V.: Betti numbers of the moduli space of rank 3 parabolic Higgs bundles. Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 187, viii+80 (2007)

  14. García-Prada O., Mundeti Riera I.: Representations of the fundamental group of a closed oriented surface in \({{\rm Sp}(4, \mathbb{R})}\) . Topology 43, 831–855 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Gómez T., Sols I.: Stability of conic bundles. Int. J. Math. 11, 1027–1055 (2000)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Gothen P.B.: Components of spaces of representations and stable triples. Topology 40, 823–850 (2001)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Gothen, P.B., Oliveira, A.G.: The singular fiber of the Hitchin map. Int. Math. Res. Not. (in press). doi:10.1093/imrn/RNS020

  18. Hitchin N.J.: Stable bundles and integrable systems. Duke Math. J. 54, 91–114 (1987)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Hitchin N.J.: The self-duality equations on a Riemann surface. Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. 55(3), 59–126 (1987)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Lange H.: Universal families of extensions. J. Algebra 83, 101–112 (1983)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Mukai, S.: An Introduction to Invariants and Moduli. Cambridge studies in Advanced Mathematics vol. 81, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2003)

  22. Mundeti Riera I.: A Hitchin–Kobayashi correspondence for Kähler fibrations. J. Reine Angew. Math. 528, 41–80 (2000)

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  23. Oliveira, A.G.: Higgs bundles, quadratic pairs and the topology of moduli spaces. PhD Thesis, Departamento de Matemática Pura, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, (2008)

  24. Oliveira A.G.: Representations of surface groups in the projective general linear group. Int. J. Math. 22, 223–279 (2011)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. Ramanathan A.: Stable principal bundles on a compact Riemann surface. Math. Ann. 213, 129–152 (1975)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. Schmitt A.H.W.: A universal construction for moduli spaces of decorated vector bundles over curves. Transform. Groups 9, 167–209 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. Schmitt A.H.W.: Moduli for decorated tuples for sheaves and representation spaces for quivers. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. Math. Sci. 115, 15–49 (2005)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Schmitt, A.H.W.: Geometric invariant theory and decorated principal bundles. Zurich Lectures in Advanced Mathematics, European Mathematical Society, Zürich (2008)

  29. Simpson C.T.: ,Higgs bundles and local systems. Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. 75, 5–95 (1992)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Thaddeus M.: Stable pairs, linear systems and the Verlinde formula. Invent. Math. 117, 317–353 (1994)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter B. Gothen.

Additional information

Members of VBAC (Vector Bundles on Algebraic Curves). Partially supported by CRUP through Acção Integrada Luso-Espanhola no.E-38/09 and by the FCT (Portugal) with EU (COMPETE) and national funds through the projects PTDC/MAT/099275/2008 and PTDC/MAT/098770/2008, and through Centro de Matemática da Universidade do Porto (PEst-C/MAT/UI0144/2011, Peter B. Gothen) and Centro de Matemática da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (PEst-OE/MAT/UI4080/2011, André G. Oliveira).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gothen, P.B., Oliveira, A.G. Rank two quadratic pairs and surface group representations. Geom Dedicata 161, 335–375 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10711-012-9709-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10711-012-9709-1

Keywords

Mathematics Subject Classification

Navigation