Harmonic metrics and connections with irregular singularities (Q1294741)

Let \(X\) be a compact Riemann surface, and \(D\subset X\) be a finite set of points. Let \({\mathcal M}\) be a locally free \({\mathcal O}_X[^*D]\)-module of finite rank equipped with a connection \(\nabla: {\mathcal M}\to {\mathcal M} \otimes_{{\mathcal O}_X}\Omega^1_X\), which may have regular or irregular singularities at each point of \(D\). Therefore, \({\mathcal M}\) is a holonomic module over the ring \({\mathcal D}_X\) of holomorphic differential operators on \(X\). There exist a unique holonomic \({\mathcal D}_X\)-submodule \({\mathcal M}_{\min} \subset {\mathcal M}\) such that \({\mathcal O}_X [^*D] \otimes_{{\mathcal O}_X} {\mathcal M}_{\min}= {\mathcal M}\) and \({\mathcal M}_{\min}\) has no quotient supported on a subset of \(D\). Fix a complete metric on \(X^*=X-D\) which, at each point of \(D\), is locally equivalent to the Poincaré metric on the punctured disk. The author shows that there exists a hermitian metric \(k\) on the flat bundle \(C^\infty_{X^*} \otimes_{{\mathcal O}_{X^*}} {\mathcal M}|_{X^*}\) such that the \(L^2\) complex \({\mathcal L}^\bullet_{ (2)}({\mathcal M})\) is defined depending on the metric on \(X^*\) and the metric \(k\) is quasi-isomorphic to the de Rham complex \(({\mathcal M}_{\min} \otimes_{{\mathcal O}_X} \Omega^1_X, \nabla)\). Note that the result is given without any regularity condition on the connection.