Stieltjes-Bethe equations in higher genus and branched coverings with even ramifications

Abstract

We describe projective structures on a Riemann surface corresponding to monodromy groups which have trivial $SL(2)$ monodromies around singularities and trivial $PSL(2)$ monodromies along homologically non-trivial loops on a Riemann surface. We propose a natural higher genus analog of Stieltjes-Bethe equations. Links with branched projective structures and with Hurwitz spaces with ramifications of even order are established. We find a higher genus analog of the genus zero Yang-Yang function (the function generating accessory parameters) and describe its similarity and difference with Bergman tau-function on the Hurwitz spaces.