As we explain, when a positive integer
is not squarefree,
even over
the moduli
stack that parametrizes generalized elliptic curves equipped with an ample cyclic subgroup of order
does not agree at the
cusps with the
-level
modular stack
defined by Deligne and Rapoport via normalization. Following a suggestion of
Deligne, we present a refined moduli stack of ample cyclic subgroups of order
that does
recover
over
for
all
. The
resulting modular description enables us to extend the regularity theorem of Katz and
Mazur:
is also regular at the cusps. We also prove such regularity for
and
several other modular stacks, some of which have been treated by Conrad by a
different method. For the proofs we introduce a tower of compactifications
of the
stack
that parametrizes elliptic curves—the ability to vary
in the
tower permits robust reductions of the analysis of Drinfeld level structures on
generalized elliptic curves to elliptic curve cases via congruences.
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