Infinitesimal automorphisms and obstruction theory on the moduli of $L$-valued $G$-Higgs bundles

Abstract

For an arbitrary reductive group $G$, we compute the infinitesimal automorphisms of $L$-valued principal $G$-Higgs bundles over a compact Kähler manifold $X$, extending known results for $Ω_X^{1}$-valued $G$-Higgs bundles. Using this computation, when $G$ is semisimple and $X$ is a smooth projective variety, we show that the moduli stack of stable $L$-valued $G$-Higgs bundles is a Deligne-Mumford (DM) stack. Furthermore, when $X$ is a smooth projective surface and $L=K_X$, we construct a symmetric perfect obstruction theory on this stable locus. We expect this will provide a foundation for defining Vafa-Witten invariants for reductive groups $G$.