English

Homological action of the modular group on some cubic moduli spaces

Geometric Topology 2007-06-17 v1

Abstract

We describe the action of the automorphism group of the complex cubic x^2+y^2+z^2-xyz-2 on the homology of its fibers. This action includes the action of the mapping class group of a punctured torus on the subvarieties of its SL(2,C) character variety given by fixing the trace of the peripheral element (so-called "relative character varieties"). This mapping class group is isomorphic to PGL(2,Z). We also describe the corresponding mapping class group action for the four-holed sphere and its relative SL(2,C) character varieties, which are fibers of deformations x^2+y^2+z^2-xyz-2-Px-Qy-Rz of the above cubic. The 2-congruence subgroup PGL(2,Z)_(2) still acts on these cubics and is the full automorphism group when P,Q,R are distinct.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math/0402039,
  title  = {Homological action of the modular group on some cubic moduli spaces},
  author = {William M. Goldman and Walter D. Neumann},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0402039},
  year   = {2007}
}

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20 pages