Action of the mapping class group on character varieties and Higgs bundles

TY - JOUR

T1 - Action of the mapping class group on character varieties and Higgs bundles

AU - Garcia-Prada, Oscar

AU - Wilkin, Graeme Peter Desmond

N1 - This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.

PY - 2020/6/22

Y1 - 2020/6/22

N2 - We consider the action of a finite subgroup of the mapping class group $\Mod(S)$ of an oriented compact surface $S$ of genus $g \geq 2$ on the moduli space $\calR(S,G)$ of representations of $\pi_1(S)$ in a connected semisimple real Lie group $G$. Kerckhoff's solution of the Nielsen realization problem ensures the existence of an element $J$ in the Teichm\"uller space of $S$ for which $\Gamma$ can be realised as a subgroup of the group of automorphisms of $X=(S,J)$ which are holomorphic or antiholomorphic. We identify the fixed points of the action of $\Gamma$ on $\calR(S,G)$ in terms of $G$-Higgs bundles on $X$ equipped with a certain twisted $\Gamma$-equivariant structure, where the twisting involves abelian and non-abelian group cohomology simultaneously. These, in turn, correspond to certain representations of the orbifold fundamental group. When the kernel of the isotropy representation of the maximal compact subgroup of $G$ is trivial, the fixed points can be described in terms of familiar objects on $Y=X/\Gamma^+$, where $\Gamma^+ \subset \Gamma$ is the maximal subgroup of $\Gamma$ consisting of holomorphic automorphisms of $X$. If $\Gamma=\Gamma^+$ one obtains actual $\Gamma$-equivariant $G$-Higgs bundles on $X$, which in turn correspond with parabolic Higgs bundles on $Y=X/\Gamma$ (this generalizes work of Nasatyr \& Steer for $G=\SL(2,\R)$ and Boden, Andersen \& Grove and Furuta \& Steer for $G=\SU(n)$). If on the other hand $\Gamma$ has antiholomorphic automorphisms, the objects on $Y=X/\Gamma^+$ correspond with pseudoreal parabolic Higgs bundles. This is a generalization in the parabolic setup of the pseudoreal Higgs bundles studied by the first author in collaboration with Biswas \& Hurtubise.

AB - We consider the action of a finite subgroup of the mapping class group $\Mod(S)$ of an oriented compact surface $S$ of genus $g \geq 2$ on the moduli space $\calR(S,G)$ of representations of $\pi_1(S)$ in a connected semisimple real Lie group $G$. Kerckhoff's solution of the Nielsen realization problem ensures the existence of an element $J$ in the Teichm\"uller space of $S$ for which $\Gamma$ can be realised as a subgroup of the group of automorphisms of $X=(S,J)$ which are holomorphic or antiholomorphic. We identify the fixed points of the action of $\Gamma$ on $\calR(S,G)$ in terms of $G$-Higgs bundles on $X$ equipped with a certain twisted $\Gamma$-equivariant structure, where the twisting involves abelian and non-abelian group cohomology simultaneously. These, in turn, correspond to certain representations of the orbifold fundamental group. When the kernel of the isotropy representation of the maximal compact subgroup of $G$ is trivial, the fixed points can be described in terms of familiar objects on $Y=X/\Gamma^+$, where $\Gamma^+ \subset \Gamma$ is the maximal subgroup of $\Gamma$ consisting of holomorphic automorphisms of $X$. If $\Gamma=\Gamma^+$ one obtains actual $\Gamma$-equivariant $G$-Higgs bundles on $X$, which in turn correspond with parabolic Higgs bundles on $Y=X/\Gamma$ (this generalizes work of Nasatyr \& Steer for $G=\SL(2,\R)$ and Boden, Andersen \& Grove and Furuta \& Steer for $G=\SU(n)$). If on the other hand $\Gamma$ has antiholomorphic automorphisms, the objects on $Y=X/\Gamma^+$ correspond with pseudoreal parabolic Higgs bundles. This is a generalization in the parabolic setup of the pseudoreal Higgs bundles studied by the first author in collaboration with Biswas \& Hurtubise.

M3 - Article

SN - 1431-0635

JO - Documenta Mathematica

JF - Documenta Mathematica

ER -