A complex structure on the moduli space of rigged Riemann surfaces

The study of Riemann surfaces with parametrized boundary components was initiated in conformal field theory (CFT). Motivated by general principles from Teichmueller theory, and applications to the construction of CFT from vertex operator algebras, we generalize the parametrizations to quasisymmetric maps. For a precise mathematical definition of CFT (in the sense of G. Segal), it is necessary that the moduli space of these Riemann surfaces be a complex manifold, and the sewing operation be holomorphic. We report on the recent proofs of these results by the authors.