Cubic threefolds moduli and the Monster group

Abstract

Allcock constructed a 13-dimensional complex ball quotient of which he conjectured that it admits a natural covering with covering group isomorphic to the Bimonster. This ball quotient contains the moduli space of cubic threefolds as an open dense subset of a 10-dimensional complex subball quotient. We prove that this subball quotient has a neighborhood in the Allcock ball quotient over which the conjectured cover exists.