\(\mathbb{C}^*\)-extensions of tori, higher Chow groups and applications to incidence equivalence relations for algebraic cycles (Q1898788)

Let \(X\) be a \(d\)-dimensional Kähler manifold and write \({\mathcal J}^p = {\mathcal J}^p (X)\) for its \(p\)-th intermediate Jacobian. Via Poincaré duality one may identify \({\mathcal J}^q = {\mathcal J}^q (X)\), \(q = d + 1 - p\), with \({\mathcal J}^p (X)^\vee = \text{Pic}^0 ({\mathcal J}^p)\). Then on \({\mathcal J}^p\times{\mathcal J}^q\), \(p+q=d+1\), one has the Poincaré line bundle \(P\). Let \(\mathbb{P}:=P\backslash\) zero section. Then \(\mathbb{P}\) is called the Poincaré biextension associated to \({\mathcal J}^p\). The projection \(p : \mathbb{P} \to {\mathcal J}^p \times {\mathcal J}^q\) makes it a \(\mathbb{C}^\times\)-torsor over \({\mathcal J}^p \times {\mathcal J}^{p \vee}\). For any \(\lambda \in {\mathcal J}^{p \vee}\), \(\mathbb{P}_\lambda : = p^{-1} ({\mathcal J}^p \times \lambda)\) fits in an exact sequence \(0 \to \mathbb{C}^\times \to \mathbb{P}_\lambda \to {\mathcal J}^p \to 0\). In particular, any \(W \in\)CH\(^q_{\text{hom}} (X)\) defines via the Abel-Jacobi map \(\psi = \psi^q : \text{CH}^q_{\text{hom}} (X) \to {\mathcal J}^q\) an exact sequence \((*)\): \(0 \to \mathbb{C}^\times \to \mathbb{P}_W \to {\mathcal J}^p \to 0\), where \(\mathbb{P}_W : = \mathbb{P}_{\psi (W)}\). On the other hand, using his higher Chow groups and their relation to Deligne-Beilinson cohomology, \textit{S. Bloch} constructed for \(W \in \text{CH}^q_{\text{hom}} (X)\), extensions of the form \((**)\): \(0 \to \mathbb{C}^\times \to \mathbb{E} W \to \text{CH}^p_{\text{hom}} (X) \to 0\). These glue together to obtain a biextension \(\mathbb{E} \to \text{CH}^p_{\text{hom}}(X)\times\text{CH}^q_{\text{hom}}(X)\). The main result of the underlying paper relates \((*)\) and \((**)\), thus proving a conjecture due to Bloch: \(\mathbb{E}\) is the pull-back of \(\mathbb{P}\) as torsors under the Abel-Jacobi homomorphism. A cycle \(W \in \text{CH}^q_{\text{hom}} (X)\) is called incidence equivalent to zero, written \(W \sim_{\text{inc}} 0\), if for all pairs \((T,B)\) with \(T\) smooth projective and \(B \in \text{CH}^{d + 1 - q} (T \times X)\), the divisor \((\text{pr}_T)_* (B \cap \text{pr}^*_X (W))\) is linear equivalent to zero. Griffiths conjectured: Let \(W \sim_{\text{alg}} 0\). If \(W \sim_{\text{inc}} 0\), then some multiple of \(W\) is Abel-Jacobi equivalent to zero. The truth of this conjecture would follow from Grothendieck's generalized Hodge conjecture. For \(W \in\)CH\(^q_{\text{alg}} (X)\) one has for the restriction \(\mathbb{E}_W^{\text{alg}}\) of \(\mathbb{E}\) to the fiber over \(W\) an extension: \(0 \to \mathbb{C}^\times \to \mathbb{E}_W^{\text{alg}} \to \text{CH}^p_{\text{alg}} (X) \to 0\). It is shown that this extension splits iff \(W\) is incidence equivalent to zero. For Griffiths' conjecture one shows that this implies: Let \(X\) be smooth and projective over \(\mathbb{C}\) and \(W \in \text{CH}^q_{\text{alg}} (X)\) such that, for some \(N \in \mathbb{N}\), \(\psi (N \cdot W)\) is contained in the dual of \({\mathcal J}^p_{\text{alg}} (X) = \psi (\text{CH}^p_{\text{alg}} (X))\). Then \(W \sim_{\text{inc}} 0\) implies that \(\psi (W)\) is torsion in \({\mathcal J}^q (X)\). This result, in turn, can be applied to prove Griffiths' conjecture in codimension two, a result actually due to \textit{J. Murre}.