Motivic mirror symmetry and $χ$-independence for Higgs bundles in arbitrary characteristic

Abstract: We prove that the (twisted orbifold) motives of the moduli spaces of $\mathrm{SL}_n$ and $\mathrm{PGL}_n$-Higgs bundles of coprime rank and degree on a smooth projective curve over an algebraically closed field in which the rank is invertible are isomorphic in Voevodsky's triangulated category of motives. The equality of twisted orbifold Hodge numbers of these moduli spaces was conjectured by Hausel and Thaddeus and recently proven by Groechenig, Ziegler and Wyss via $p$-adic integration and then by Maulik and Shen using the decomposition theorem, an analysis of the supports of $D$-twisted Hitchin fibrations and vanishing cycles. Our proof in characteristic zero combines the geometric ideas of Maulik and Shen with the conservativity of the Betti realisation on abelian motives; to apply the latter, we prove that the relevant motives are abelian. In particular, we prove that the motive of the $\mathrm{SL}_n$-Higgs moduli space is abelian, building on our previous work in the $\mathrm{GL}_n$-case. We then use motivic nearby cycles to deduce the result in positive characteristic from that in characteristic zero. Using the same ideas, we prove motivic $\chi$-independence for $\mathrm{GL}_n$-Higgs bundles.