English

A complete classification of modular compactifications of the universal Jacobian

Algebraic Geometry 2026-04-22 v2 Combinatorics

Abstract

This is the third paper in a series, following [FPVa] and [FPVb]. We classify all modular compactifications of the universal Jacobian over Mg,n\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}, both as stacks and as their relative good moduli spaces. Our main result gives a combinatorial parametrization of compactified universal Jacobian stacks by VV-functions on a stability domain Dg,n\mathbb{D}_{g,n} of half-vine types (two-components topological types with a chosen side); under this correspondence, fine compactifications are exactly the general VV-functions. We single out the classical compactified universal Jacobians, namely those induced by numerical polarizations (relative R\mathbb{R}-line bundles on the universal curve Cg,n/Mg,n\overline{\mathcal{C}}_{g,n}/\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}), recovering the constructions of Kass-Pagani and Melo in the fine case, and we prove that their good moduli spaces are locally projective over Mg,n\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}. We determine when two compactified universal Jacobians are isomorphic over Mg,n\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n} and describe a resolution of the universal family via a compactified Jacobian over Mg,n+1\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n+1}. Finally, we analyse the poset Σg,n\Sigma_{g,n} of compactified universal Jacobians, an extension of the poset of regions of the hyperplane arrangement of classical stability conditions Ag,n\mathcal{A}_{g,n} studied in Kass-Pagani. We prove that for n=0n=0 all compactified universal Jacobians are those constructed by Caporaso. We then give an explicit description of the submaximal elements of Σg,n\Sigma_{g,n} for all nn, generalizing the stability walls in the classical stability space Ag,n\mathcal{A}_{g,n} from Kass-Pagani's work.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.05455,
  title  = {A complete classification of modular compactifications of the universal Jacobian},
  author = {Marco Fava and Nicola Pagani and Filippo Viviani},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.05455},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

68 pages. Remark 7.6 added. Fixed some typos