1998/04/17 by Tamas Hausel
Mathematics · #math.AG #math.DG #math.SG #msc:58D27 #msc:14D20
published as J. Reine Angew. Math., Volume 503 (1998) 169-192 · Latex, 25 pages, to appear in Crelle's Journal
arxiv created 1998/04/17 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
In this paper we consider a canonical compactification of Hitchin's moduli space of stable Higgs bundles with fixed determinant of odd degree over a Riemann surface, producing a projective variety by gluing in a divisor at infinity. We give a detailed study of the compactified space, the divisor at infinity and the moduli space itself. In doing so we reprove some assertions of Laumon and Thaddeus on the nilpotent cone.