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Abstract We determine the cones of effective and nef divisors on the toroidal compactification of the ball quotient model of the moduli space of complex cubic surfaces with a chosen line. From this we also compute the corresponding cones for the moduli space of unmarked cubic surfaces. 

A<sc>bstract</sc> We present a complete computation of superstring scattering amplitudes at tree level, for the case of Neveu-Schwarz insertions. Mathematically, this is to say that we determine explicitly the superstring measure on the moduli space$$ {\mathcal{M}}_{0,n,0} $$ $M_{0,n,0}$of super Riemann surfaces of genus zero withn≥ 3 Neveu-Schwarz punctures. While, of course, an expression for the measure was previously known, we do this from first principles, using the canonically defined super Mumford isomorphism [1]. We thus determine the scattering amplitudes, explicitly in the global coordinates on$$ {\mathcal{M}}_{0,n,0} $$ $M_{0,n,0}$, without the need for picture changing operators or ghosts, and are also able to determine canonically the value of the coupling constant. Our computation should be viewed as a step towards performing similar analysis on$$ {\mathcal{M}}_{0,0,n} $$ $M_{0,0,n}$, to derive explicit tree-level scattering amplitudes with Ramond insertions. 

Abstract The well-studied moduli space of complex cubic surfaces has three different, but isomorphic, compact realizations: as a GIT quotient$${\mathcal {M}}^{\operatorname {GIT}}$$, as a Baily–Borel compactification of a ball quotient$${(\mathcal {B}_4/\Gamma )^*}$$, and as a compactifiedK-moduli space. From all three perspectives, there is a unique boundary point corresponding to non-stable surfaces. From the GIT point of view, to deal with this point, it is natural to consider the Kirwan blowup$${\mathcal {M}}^{\operatorname {K}}\rightarrow {\mathcal {M}}^{\operatorname {GIT}}$$, whereas from the ball quotient point of view, it is natural to consider the toroidal compactification$${\overline {\mathcal {B}_4/\Gamma }}\rightarrow {(\mathcal {B}_4/\Gamma )^*}$$. The spaces$${\mathcal {M}}^{\operatorname {K}}$$and$${\overline {\mathcal {B}_4/\Gamma }}$$have the same cohomology, and it is therefore natural to ask whether they are isomorphic. Here, we show that this is in factnotthe case. Indeed, we show the more refined statement that$${\mathcal {M}}^{\operatorname {K}}$$and$${\overline {\mathcal {B}_4/\Gamma }}$$are equivalent in the Grothendieck ring, but notK-equivalent. Along the way, we establish a number of results and techniques for dealing with singularities and canonical classes of Kirwan blowups and toroidal compactifications of ball quotients. 

Abstract We study the cone of moving divisors on the moduli space $${\mathcal{A}}_{g}$$ of principally polarized abelian varieties. Partly motivated by the generalized Rankin–Cohen bracket, we construct a non-linear holomorphic differential operator that sends Siegel modular forms to Siegel modular forms, and we apply it to produce new modular forms. Our construction recovers the known divisors of minimal moving slope on $${\mathcal{A}}_{g}$$ for $$g\leq 4$$, and gives an explicit upper bound for the moving slope of $${\mathcal{A}}_{5}$$ and a conjectural upper bound for the moving slope of $${\mathcal{A}}_{6}$$. 

We compute and compare the (intersection) cohomology of various natural geometric compactifications of the moduli space of cubic threefolds: the GIT compactification and its Kirwan blowup, as well as the Baily–Borel and toroidal compactifications of the ball quotient model, due to Allcock–Carlson–Toledo. Our starting point is Kirwan’s method. We then follow by investigating the behavior of the cohomology under the birational maps relating the various models, using the decomposition theorem in different ways, and via a detailed study of the boundary of the ball quotient model. As an easy illustration of our methods, the simpler case of the moduli space of cubic surfaces is discussed in an appendix.