Geometry and Analysis Seminar

The moduli space of cubic surfaces is known to be isomorphic to a quotient of the unit ball in C^4 by an arithmetic

group. We review this construction, then explain how to construct

an explicit inverse to the period map by using suitable theta functions. This gives a new proof of the isomorphism between the two spaces.

We shall discuss the moduli problem for irreducible holomorphic symplectic manifolds. If these manifolds are equipped with a polarization (an ample line bundle), then they are parametrized by (coarse) moduli spaces. We shall relate these moduli spaces to arithmetic quotients of type IV domains and discuss when they are rational or not. This is joint work with V.Gritsenko and G.K.Sankaran.

The Harder Narasimhan type (in the sense of Gieseker semistability)

of a pure-dimensional coherent sheaf on a projective scheme is known to vary

semi-continuously in a flat family, which gives the well-known Harder Narasimhan

stratification of the parameter scheme of the family, by locally closed subsets.

We show that each stratum can be endowed with a natural structure of a locally

closed subscheme of the parameter scheme, which enjoys an appropriate universal property.

As an application, we deduce that pure-dimensional coherent sheaves of any given

Harder Narasimhan type form an Artin algebraic stack.

As another application - jointly with L. Brambila-Paz and O. Mata - we describe

moduli schemes for certain rank 2 unstable vector bundles on a smooth projective

curve, fixing some numerical data.