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Weil-Petersson volumes and intersection theory on the moduli space of curves

Author(s): Maryam Mirzakhani
Journal: J. Amer. Math. Soc. 20 (2007), 1-23.
MSC (2000): Primary 32G15, 14H15
Posted: March 8, 2006
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Abstract: In this paper, we establish a relationship between the Weil- Petersson volume $ V_{g,n}(b)$ of the moduli space $ \mathcal{M}_{g,n}(b)$ of hyperbolic Riemann surfaces with geodesic boundary components of lengths $ b_{1},\ldots, b_{n}$, and the intersection numbers of tautological classes on the moduli space $ \overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}$ of stable curves. As a result, by using the recursive formula for $ V_{g,n}(b)$ obtained in the author's Simple geodesics and Weil-Petersson volumes of moduli spaces of bordered Riemann surfaces, preprint, 2003, we derive a new proof of the Virasoro constraints for a point. This result is equivalent to the Witten-Kontsevich formula.


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Additional Information:

Maryam Mirzakhani
Affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

DOI: 10.1090/S0894-0347-06-00526-1
PII: S 0894-0347(06)00526-1
Received by editor(s): April 6, 2004
Posted: March 8, 2006
Additional Notes: The author is supported by a Clay fellowship.
Copyright of article: Copyright 2006, American Mathematical Society
The copyright for this article reverts to public domain after 28 years from publication.


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