Extensions with estimates of cohomology classes

We prove an extension theorem of "Ohsawa-Takegoshi type" for Dolbeault q$-classes of cohomology ($q\geq 1$) on smooth compact hypersurfaces in a weakly pseudoconvex K\"ahler manifoldComment: to appear in Manuscripta Mathematic

The Toledo invariant on smooth varieties of general type

We propose a definition of the Toledo invariant for representations of fundamental groups of smooth varieties of general type into semisimple Lie groups of Hermitian type. This definition allows to generalize the results known in the classical case of representations of complex hyperbolic lattices to this new setting: assuming that the rank of the target Lie group is not greater than two, we prove that the Toledo invariant satisfies a Milnor-Wood type inequality and we characterize the corresponding maximal representations.Comment: 19 page

Harmonic maps and representations of non-uniform lattices of PU(m,1)

We study representations of lattices of PU(m,1) into PU(n,1). We show that if a representation is reductive and if m is at least 2, then there exists a finite energy harmonic equivariant map from complex hyperbolic m-space to complex hyperbolic n-space. This allows us to give a differential geometric proof of rigidity results obtained by M. Burger and A. Iozzi. We also define a new invariant associated to representations into PU(n,1) of non-uniform lattices in PU(1,1), and more generally of fundamental groups of orientable surfaces of finite topological type and negative Euler characteristic. We prove that this invariant is bounded by a constant depending only on the Euler characteristic of the surface and we give a complete characterization of representations with maximal invariant, thus generalizing the results of D. Toledo for uniform lattices.Comment: v2: the case of lattices of PU(1,1) has been rewritten and is now treated in full generality + other minor modification

On the equidistribution of totally geodesic submanifolds in compact locally symmetric spaces and application to boundedness results for negative curves and exceptional divisors

We prove an equidistribution result for totally geodesic submanifolds in a compact locally symmetric space. In the case of Hermitian locally symmetric spaces, this gives a convergence theorem for currents of integration along totally geodesic subvarieties. As a corollary, we obtain that on a complex surface which is a compact quotient of the bidisc or of the 2-ball, there is at most a finite number of totally geodesic curves with negative self intersection. More generally, we prove that there are only finitely many exceptional totally geodesic divisors in a compact Hermitian locally symmetric space of the noncompact type of dimension at least 2.Comment: The paper has been substantially rewritten. Corollary 1.3 in the previous versions was false as stated. This has been corrected (see Corollary 1.5). The main results are not affecte

Representations of complex hyperbolic lattices into rank 2 classical Lie groups of Hermitian type

Let G be either SU(p,2) with p>=2, Sp(2,R) or SO(p,2) with p>=3. The symmetric spaces associated to these G's are the classical bounded symmetric domains of rank 2, with the exceptions of SO*(8)/U(4) and SO*(10)/U(5). Using the correspondence between representations of fundamental groups of K\"{a}hler manifolds and Higgs bundles we study representations of uniform lattices of SU(m,1), m>1, into G. We prove that the Toledo invariant associated to such a representation satisfies a Milnor-Wood type inequality and that in case of equality necessarily G=SU(p,2) with p>=2m and the representation is reductive, faithful, discrete, and stabilizes a copy of complex hyperbolic space (of maximal possible induced holomorphic sectional curvature) holomorphically and totally geodesically embedded in the Hermitian symmetric space SU(p,2)/S(U(p)xU(2)), on which it acts cocompactly

Complex hyperbolic volume and intersection of boundary divisors in moduli spaces of genus zero curves

We show that the complex hyperbolic metrics defined by Deligne-Mostow and Thurston on ${\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$ are singular K\"ahler-Einstein metrics when ${\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$ is embedded in the Deligne-Mumford-Knudsen compactification $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$. As a consequence, we obtain a formula computing the volumes of ${\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$ with respect to these metrics using intersection of boundary divisors of $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$. In the case of rational weights, following an idea of Y. Kawamata, we show that these metrics actually represent the first Chern class of some line bundles on $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{0,n}$, from which other formulas computing the same volumes are derived.Comment: Added a new expression of the divisor whose self-intersection computes the volume in Theorem 1.1. Exposition improve

On the second cohomology of K\"ahler groups

Carlson and Toledo conjectured that any infinite fundamental group $\Gamma$ of a compact K\"ahler manifold satisfies $H^2(\Gamma,\R)\not =0$. We assume that $\Gamma$ admits an unbounded reductive rigid linear representation. This representation necessarily comes from a complex variation of Hodge structure (\C-VHS) on the K\"ahler manifold. We prove the conjecture under some assumption on the \C-VHS. We also study some related geometric/topological properties of period domains associated to such \C-VHS.Comment: 21 pages. Exposition improved. Final versio

Nonexistence of holomorphic submersions between complex unit balls equivariant with respect to a lattice and their generalizations

In this article we prove first of all the nonexistence of holomorphic submersions other than covering maps between compact quotients of complex unit balls, with a proof that works equally well in a more general equivariant setting. For a non-equidimensional surjective holomorphic map between compact ball quotients, our method applies to show that the set of critical values must be nonempty and of codimension 1. In the equivariant setting the line of arguments extend to holomorphic mappings of maximal rank into the complex projective space or the complex Euclidean space, yielding in the latter case a lower estimate on the dimension of the singular locus of certain holomorphic maps defined by integrating holomorphic 1-forms. In another direction, we extend the nonexistence statement on holomorphic submersions to the case of ball quotients of finite volume, provided that the target complex unit ball is of dimension m>=2, giving in particular a new proof that a local biholomorphism between noncompact m-ball quotients of finite volume must be a covering map whenever m>=2. Finally, combining our results with Hermitian metric rigidity, we show that any holomorphic submersion from a bounded symmetric domain into a complex unit ball equivariant with respect to a lattice must factor through a canonical projection to yield an automorphism of the complex unit ball, provided that either the lattice is cocompact or the ball is of dimension at least 2