Following Faber–Pandharipande, we use the virtual localization formula for the moduli space of stable maps to $\mathbb {P}^{1}$ to compute relations between Hodge integrals. We prove that certain generating series of these integrals are polynomials.

Hyperelliptic mapping class groups are defined either as the centralizers of hyperelliptic involutions inside mapping class groups of oriented surfaces of finite type or as the inverse images of these centralizers by the natural epimorphisms between mapping class groups of surfaces with marked points. We study these groups in a systematic way. An application of this theory is a counterexample to the genus $2$ case of a conjecture by Putman and Wieland on virtual linear representations of mapping class groups. In the last section, we study profinite completions of hyperelliptic mapping class groups: we extend the congruence subgroup property to the general class of hyperelliptic mapping class groups introduced above and then determine the centralizers of multitwists and of open subgroups in their profinite completions.

For any odd integer $d$, we give a presentation for the integral Chow ring of the stack $\mathcal {M}_{0}(\mathbb {P}^r, d)$, as a quotient of the polynomial ring $\mathbb {Z}[c_1,c_2]$. We describe an efficient set of generators for the ideal of relations, and compute them in generating series form. The paper concludes with explicit computations of some examples for low values of $d$ and $r$, and a conjecture for a minimal set of generators.

Using the theory of ${\mathbf {FS}} {^\mathrm {op}}$ modules, we study the asymptotic behavior of the homology of ${\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}}$, the Deligne–Mumford compactification of the moduli space of curves, for $n\gg 0$. An ${\mathbf {FS}} {^\mathrm {op}}$ module is a contravariant functor from the category of finite sets and surjections to vector spaces. Via copies that glue on marked projective lines, we give the homology of ${\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}}$ the structure of an ${\mathbf {FS}} {^\mathrm {op}}$ module and bound its degree of generation. As a consequence, we prove that the generating function $\sum _{n} \dim (H_i({\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}})) t^n$ is rational, and its denominator has roots in the set $\{1, 1/2, \ldots, 1/p(g,i)\},$ where $p(g,i)$ is a polynomial of order $O(g^2 i^2)$. We also obtain restrictions on the decomposition of the homology of ${\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}}$ into irreducible $\mathbf {S}_n$ representations.

In this paper, for each $n\geqslant g\geqslant 0$ we consider the moduli stack $\widetilde{{\mathcal{U}}}_{g,n}^{ns}$ of curves $(C,p_{1},\ldots ,p_{n},v_{1},\ldots ,v_{n})$ of arithmetic genus $g$ with $n$ smooth marked points $p_{i}$ and nonzero tangent vectors $v_{i}$ at them, such that the divisor $p_{1}+\cdots +p_{n}$ is nonspecial (has $h^{1}=0$) and ample. With some mild restrictions on the characteristic we show that it is a scheme, affine over the Grassmannian $G(n-g,n)$. We also construct an isomorphism of $\widetilde{{\mathcal{U}}}_{g,n}^{ns}$ with a certain relative moduli of $A_{\infty }$-structures (up to an equivalence) over a family of graded associative algebras parametrized by $G(n-g,n)$.

We complete Mori's program with symmetric divisors for the moduli space of stable seven-pointed rational curves. We describe all birational models in terms of explicit blow-ups and blow-downs. We also give a moduli theoretic description of the first flip, which has not appeared in the literature.

This is the first of three papers in which we give a moduli interpretation of the second flip in the log minimal model program for $\overline{M}_{g}$, replacing the locus of curves with a genus $2$ Weierstrass tail by a locus of curves with a ramphoid cusp. In this paper, for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}\in (2/3-\unicode[STIX]{x1D716},2/3+\unicode[STIX]{x1D716})$, we introduce new $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$-stability conditions for curves and prove that they are deformation open. This yields algebraic stacks $\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{g}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC})$ related by open immersions $\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{g}(2/3+\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}){\hookrightarrow}\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{g}(2/3){\hookleftarrow}\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{g}(2/3-\unicode[STIX]{x1D716})$. We prove that around a curve $C$ corresponding to a closed point in $\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{g}(2/3)$, these open immersions are locally modeled by variation of geometric invariant theory for the action of $\text{Aut}(C)$ on the first-order deformation space of $C$.

We prove that the tautological ring of ${\mathcal{M}}_{2,n}^{\mathsf{ct}}$, the moduli space of $n$-pointed genus two curves of compact type, does not have Poincaré duality for any $n\geqslant 8$. This result is obtained via a more general study of the cohomology groups of ${\mathcal{M}}_{2,n}^{\mathsf{ct}}$. We explain how the cohomology can be decomposed into pieces corresponding to different local systems and how the tautological cohomology can be identified within this decomposition. Our results allow the computation of $H^{k}({\mathcal{M}}_{2,n}^{\mathsf{ct}})$ for any $k$ and $n$ considered both as $\mathbb{S}_{n}$-representation and as mixed Hodge structure/$\ell$-adic Galois representation considered up to semi-simplification. A consequence of our results is also that all even cohomology of $\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{2,n}$ is tautological for $n<20$, and that the tautological ring of $\overline{{\mathcal{M}}}_{2,n}$ fails to have Poincaré duality for all $n\geqslant 20$. This improves and simplifies results of the author and Orsola Tommasi.

We prove by the Hilbert–Mumford criterion that a slope stable polarized weighted pointed nodal curve is Chow asymptotic stable. This generalizes the result of Caporaso on stability of polarized nodal curves and of Hassett on weighted pointed stable curves polarized by the weighted dualizing sheaves. It also solves a question raised by Mumford and Gieseker, to prove the Chow asymptotic stability of stable nodal curves by the Hilbert–Mumford criterion.

Let us consider the locus in the moduli space of curves of genus $2k$ defined by curves with a pencil of degree $k$. Since the Brill–Noether number is equal to $- 2$, such a locus has codimension two. Using the method of test surfaces, we compute the class of its closure in the moduli space of stable curves.

We prove that the moduli spaces of n-pointed m-stable curves introduced in our previous paper have projective coarse moduli. We use the resulting spaces to run an analogue of Hassett’s log minimal model program for .

We introduce a sequence of isolated curve singularities, the elliptic m-fold points, and an associated sequence of stability conditions, generalizing the usual definition of Deligne–Mumford stability. For every pair of integers 1≤m<n, we prove that the moduli problem of n-pointed m-stable curves of arithmetic genus one is representable by a proper irreducible Deligne–Mumford stack . We also consider weighted variants of these stability conditions, and construct the corresponding moduli stacks . In forthcoming work, we will prove that these stacks have projective coarse moduli and use the resulting spaces to give a complete description of the log minimal model program for .

We prove that all monomials of κ-classes and ψ-classes are independent in for all . We also give a simple argument for in Rl(ℳg) for .

We compute the mixed Hodge structure on the rational cohomology of the moduli space of smooth genus 4 curves. Specifically, we prove that its Poincaré–Serre polynomial is 1 + t2u2 + t4u4 + t5u6. We show this by producing a stratification of the space, such that all strata are geometric quotients of complements of discriminants.

Which algebraic surfaces occur as covers of moduli spaces for curves? We show that surfaces of a special type over number fields do, with possible exception for non-elliptic K3 surfaces.

Moduli spaces of pointed curves with some level structure are studied. We prove that for so-called geometric level structures, the levels encountered in the boundary are smooth if the ambient variety is smooth, and in some cases we can describe them explicitly. The smoothness implies that the moduli space of pointed curves (over any field) admits a smooth finite Galois cover. Finally, we prove that some of these moduli spaces are simply connected.

We construct in all characteristics p7lt;2 a complete surface in the moduli space of smooth genus 6 curves. The surface is contained in the locus of curves with automorphisms.