Geometric models and variation of weights on moduli of parabolic Higgs bundles over the Riemann sphere: a case study

Claudio Meneses

Published 2020-12-24Version 1

We construct explicit geometric models for moduli spaces of stable parabolic Higgs bundles on the Riemann sphere, in the case of rank two, four marked points, any degree, and arbitrary weights. The construction mechanism relies on elementary geometric and combinatorial techniques, based on a detailed study of orbit stability of (in general non-reductive) bundle automorphism groups on carefully crafted spaces. These techniques are not exclusive to the case we examine. Therefore, this work elucidates a general approach to construct arbitrary moduli spaces of stable parabolic Higgs bundles in genus 0, which is encoded into the combinatorics of weight polytopes. Moreover, we present a comprehensive analysis of the geometric models' behavior under variation of weights and wall-crossing. This analysis is concentrated on their nilpotent cones, and is applicable to the study of the hyperk\"ahler geometry of Hitchin metrics as gravitational instantons of ALG type.