Artin-Schreier Root Stacks

Abstract

We classify stacky curves in characteristic $p>0$ with cyclic stabilizers of order $p$ using higher ramification data. This approach replaces the local root stack structure of a tame stacky curve, similar to the local structure of a complex orbifold curve, with a more sensitive structure called an Artin-Schreier root stack, allowing us to incorporate this ramification data directly into the stack. As an application, we compute dimensions of Riemann-Roch spaces for some examples of stacky curves in positive characteristic and suggest a program for computing spaces of modular forms in this setting.

36 pages; significant improvements following readers' comments; submitted version