On the Markus conjecture in convex case (Q824402)

An affine manifold \(M\) is a topological manifold equipped with an atlas of local charts taking values in \(\mathbb R^n\) and transition functions given by affine mapping on their overlappings. Any local chart extends, by the analytic continuation property, to a mapping \(D:\widetilde{M}\to \mathbb R^n\) called \textit{developing map} equivariant with respect to a representation \(\rho:\pi_1(M)\to \text{Aff}(\mathbb R^n)\). An affine manifold \(M\) is said to be \textit{convex} if \(D(\widetilde{M})=\Omega\subset \mathbb R^n\) is a convex domain and complete if \(D(\widetilde{M})=\mathbb R^n\). Finally, an affine manifold has \textit{parallel volume} if the linear part of its holonomy representation lies in \(\text{SL}(n,\mathbb R)\). In the present paper the authors provide a partial answer to a conjecture raised by Markus in \(1962\) that relates the notions of completness and parallel volume. More precisely a compact affine manifold with parallel volume is conjectured to be complete. By contraposition, a convex affine manifold \(M\) cannot have parallel volume if \(D(\widetilde{M})=\Omega\neq\mathbb R^n\). According to this latter (equivalent) formulation, the authors show Markus' conjecture under the assumption that the limit set \(\Lambda_{\text{Aut}_0(\Omega)}\) is nonempty and hence providing a partial positive answer. Here, \(\Lambda_{\text{Aut}_0(\Omega)}\) stands for the set of all limit points on the boundary of \(\Omega\) under the action of the identity component of \(\text{Aut}_0(\Omega)\). Finally, the authors prove that for a non-complete affine manifold \(M\) the condition \(\Lambda_{\text{Aut}_0(\Omega)}\neq\phi\) holds whenever \(\text{dim}(M)\le5\) and hence proving Markus' conjecture for convex affine manifolds.