Modular forms from Noether-Lefschetz theory

Abstract

We enumerate smooth rational curves on very general Weierstrass fibrations over hypersurfaces in projective space. The generating functions for these numbers lie in the ring of classical modular forms. The method of proof uses topological intersection products on a period stack and the cohomological theta correspondence of Kudla and Millson for special cycles on a locally symmetric space of orthogonal type. The results here apply only in base degree 1, but heuristics for higher base degree match predictions from the topological string partition function.