Geometry of theta divisors --- a survey

Abstract

We survey the geometry of the theta divisor and discuss various loci of principally polarized abelian varieties (ppav) defined by imposing conditions on its singularities. The loci defined in this way include the (generalized) Andreotti-Mayer loci, but also other geometrically interesting cycles such as the locus of intermediate Jacobians of cubic threefolds. We shall discuss questions concerning the dimension of these cycles as well as the computation of their class in the Chow or the cohomology ring. In addition we consider the class of their closure in suitable toroidal compactifications and describe degeneration techniques which have proven useful. For this we include a discussion of the construction of the universal family of ppav with a level structure and its possible extensions to toroidal compactifications. The paper contains numerous open questions and conjectures.