A vanishing theorem for proper direct images (Q1092292)

The present paper concentrates on the proof of a relative version of a basic vanishing theorem for sheaf cohomology on a q-complete non-compact complex manifold, due to \textit{A. Andreotti} and \textit{E. Vesentini} [Publ. Math. Inst. Haut. Étud. Sci. 25, 81-130 (1965; Zbl 0138.066); Erratum ibid. 27, 757-758 (1965)]. The main result can be stated as follows: If \(f: X\to S\) is a morphism of purely dimensional complex spaces, X is bimeromorphically equivalent to a Stein space and E is a Nakano semidefinite bundle on X, then the proper direct images \(R^ qf_ !{\mathcal O}_ X(E)\) vanish for \(q<\dim X\quad -\quad \dim S.\) The proof relies essentially on an a priori estimate for the \({\bar \partial}\)-operaor in some weighted \(L^ 2\)-norms adapted to good exhaustion functions. The same result has been obtained by algebraic methods by \textit{K. Takegoshi} [Duke Math. J. 52, 273-279 (1985; Zbl 0577.32030)].