Relative Log-Symplectic structure on a semi-stable degeneration of moduli of Higgs bundles

Abstract

In a recent paper \cite{3}, a semi-stable degeneration of moduli space of Higgs bundles on a curve has been constructed. In this paper, we show that there is a relative log-symplectic form on this degeneration, whose restriction to the generic fibre is the classical symplectic form discovered by Hitchin. We compute the Poisson ranks at every point and describe the symplectic foliation on the closed fibre. We also show that the closed fibre, which is a variety with normal crossing singularities, acquires a structure of an algebraically completely integrable system.