Holomorphic submersions from Stein manifolds

In this paper we prove results on the existence and homotopy classification of holomorphic submersions from Stein manifolds to other complex manifolds. We say that a complex manifold Y satisfies Property S_n for some integer n bigger or equal the dimension of Y if every holomorphic submersion from a compact convex set in C^n of a certain special type to Y can be uniformly approximated by holomorphic submersions from C^n to Y. Assuming this condition we prove the following. A continuous map f from an n-dimensional Stein manifold X to Y is homotopic to a holomorphic submersions of X to Y if and only if there exists a fiberwise surjective complex vector bundle map from TX to TY covering f. We also prove results on the homotopy classification of holomorphic submersions. We show that Property S_n is satisfied when n>dim Y and Y is any of the following manifolds: a complex Euclidean space, a complex projective space or Grassmanian, a Zariski open set in any of the above whose complement does not contain any complex hypersurfaces, a complex torus, a Hopf manifold, a non-hyperbolic Riemann surface, etc. In the case when Y is a complex Euclidean space the main result of this paper was obtained in [arXiv:math.CV/0211112].Comment: Annales Inst. Fourier, to appea

Holomorphic flexibility properties of complex manifolds

We obtain results on approximation of holomorphic maps by algebraic maps, jet transversality theorems for holomorphic and algebraic maps, and the homotopy principle for holomorphic submersions of Stein manifolds to certain algebraic manifolds.Comment: To appear in Amer. J. Mat

The Oka principle for sections of subelliptic submersions

Let X and Y be complex manifolds. One says that maps from X to Y satisfy the Oka principle if the inclusion of the space of holomorphic maps from X to Y into the space of continuous maps is a weak homotopy equivalence. In 1957 H. Grauert proved the Oka principle for maps from Stein manifolds to complex Lie groups and homogeneous spaces, as well as for sections of fiber bundles with homogeneous fibers over a Stein base. In 1989 M. Gromov extended Grauert's result to sections of submersions over a Stein base which admit dominating sprays over small open sets in the base; for proof see [F. Forstneric and J. Prezelj: Oka's principle for holomorphic fiber bundles with sprays, Math. Ann. 317 (2000), 117-154, and the preprint math.CV/0101040]. In this paper we prove the Oka principle for maps from Stein manifolds to any complex manifold Y that admits finitely many sprays which together dominate at every point of Y (such manifold is called subelliptic). The class of subelliptic manifolds contains all the elliptic ones, as well as complements of closed algebraic subvarieties of codimension at least two in a complex projective space or a complex Grassmanian. We also prove the Oka principle for removing intersections of holomorphic maps with closed complex subvarieties A of the target manifold Y, provided that the source manifold is Stein and the manifolds Y and Y\A are subelliptic.Comment: Revised versio

Noncritical holomorphic functions on Stein spaces

We prove that every reduced Stein space admits a holomorphic function without critical points. Furthermore, any closed discrete subset of such a space is the critical locus of a holomorphic function. We also show that for every complex analytic stratification with nonsingular strata on a reduced Stein space there exists a holomorphic function whose restriction to every stratum is noncritical. These result also provide some information on critical loci of holomorphic functions on desingularizations of Stein spaces. In particular, every 1-convex manifold admits a holomorphic function that is noncritical outside the exceptional variety.Comment: To appear in J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS

A contractible Levi-flat hypersurface in C^2 which is a determining set for pluriharmonic functions

We construct a real analytic Levi-flat hypersurface M in a neighborhood of an ellipsoid B in C^2 such that the each leaf of the Levi foliation of M is a complex disc, M intersects the boundary of B transversely, and the intersection A of M with B has the following properties: (i) the closure of A is diffeomorphic to the ball in R^3 and has a basis of Stein neighborhoods in C^2, (ii) any real analytic function on A which is constant on each Levi leaf is constant, (iii) any pluriharmonic function in a connected open neighborhood of A and vanishing on A is identically zero.Comment: Arkiv Math., to appea