For every known Hecke eigenform of weight 3 with rational eigenvalues we exhibit a K3 surface over QQ associated to the form. This answers a question asked independently by Mazur and van Straten. The proof builds on a classification of CM forms by the second author.
We study the virtual geometry of the moduli spaces of curves and sheaves on K3 surfaces in primitive classes. Equivalences relating the reduced Gromov-Witten invariants of K3 surfaces to characteristic numbers of stable pairs moduli spaces are proven. As a consequence, we prove the Katz-Klemm-Vafa conjecture evaluating $lambda_g$ integrals (in all genera) in terms of explicit modular forms. Indeed, all K3 invariants in primitive classes are shown to be governed by modular forms. The method of proof is by degeneration to elliptically fibered rational surfaces. New formulas relating reduced virtual classes on K3 surfaces to standard virtual classes after degeneration are needed for both maps and sheaves. We also prove a Gromov-Witten/Pairs correspondence for toric 3-folds. Our approach uses a result of Kiem and Li to produce reduced classes. In Appendix A, we answer a number of questions about the relationship between the Kiem-Li approach, traditional virtual cycles, and symmetric obstruction theories. The interplay between the boundary geometry of the moduli spaces of curves, K3 surfaces, and modular forms is explored in Appendix B by A. Pixton.
We construct non-geometric compactifications by using the F-theory dual of the heterotic string compactified on a two-torus, together with a close connection between Siegel modular forms of genus two and the equations of certain K3 surfaces. The modular group mixes together the Kahler, complex structure, and Wilson line moduli of the torus yielding weakly coupled heterotic string compactifications which have no large radius interpretation.
We develop a theory of twistor spaces for supersingular K3 surfaces, extending the analogy between supersingular K3 surfaces and complex analytic K3 surfaces. Our twistor spaces are obtained as relative moduli spaces of twisted sheaves on universal gerbes associated to the Brauer groups of supersingular K3 surfaces. In rank 0, this is a geometric incarnation of the Artin-Tate isomorphism. Twistor spaces give rise to curves in moduli spaces of twisted supersingular K3 surfaces, analogous to the analytic moduli space of marked K3 surfaces. We describe a theory of crystals for twisted supersingular K3 surfaces and a twisted period morphism from the moduli space of twisted supersingular K3 surfaces to this space of crystals. As applications of this theory, we give a new proof of the Ogus-Torelli theorem modeled on Verbitskys proof in the complex analytic setting and a new proof of the result of Rudakov-Shafarevich that supersingular K3 surfaces have potentially good reduction. These proofs work in characteristic 3, filling in the last remaining gaps in the theory. As a further application, we show that each component of the supersingular locus in each moduli space of polarized K3 surfaces is unirational.
We introduce a sequence of families of lattice polarized $K3$ surfaces. This sequence is closely related to complex reflection groups of exceptional type. Namely, we obtain modular forms coming from the inverse correspondences of the period mappings attached to our sequence. We study a non-trivial relation between our modular forms and invariants of complex reflection groups. Especially, we consider a family concerned with the Shepherd-Todd group of No.34 based on arithmetic properties of lattices and algebro-geometric properties of the period mappings.
Deligne showed that every K3 surface over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic admits a lift to characteristic 0. We show the same is true for a twisted K3 surface. To do this, we study the versal deformation spaces of twisted K3 surfaces, which are particularly interesting when the characteristic divides the order of the Brauer class. We also give an algebraic construction of certain moduli spaces of twisted K3 surfaces over $mathrm{Spec}mathbf{Z}$ and apply our deformation theory to study their geometry. As an application of our results, we show that every derived equivalence between twisted K3 surfaces in positive characteristic is orientation preserving.