Extremal higher codimension cycles on moduli spaces of curves

Abstract

We show that certain geometrically defined higher codimension cycles are extremal in the effective cone of the moduli space $\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}$ of stable genus $g$ curves with $n$ ordered marked points. In particular, we prove that codimension two boundary strata are extremal and exhibit extremal boundary strata of higher codimension. We also show that the locus of hyperelliptic curves with a marked Weierstrass point in $\overline{\mathcal M}_{3,1}$ and the locus of hyperelliptic curves in $\overline{\mathcal M}_4$ are extremal cycles. In addition, we exhibit infinitely many extremal codimension two cycles in $\overline{\mathcal M}_{1,n}$ for $n\geq 5$ and in $\overline{\mathcal M}_{2,n}$ for $n\geq 2$.