Rigid geometry on projective varieties (Q1925762)

The object of this paper is to prove a collection of global rigidity theorems for holomorphic geometric structures on complex manifolds. We begin with some definitions. Let \(G\) be a Lie group with Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}\) and \(H\) a closed subgroup with Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{h}\). A Cartan geometry modelled on \(G/H\) on a manifold \(M\) is a \(C^\infty\) principal \(H\)-bundle \(E\to M\) together with a smooth \(1\)-form \(\omega\in\Omega^1(E)\otimes\mathfrak{g}\) called the Cartan connection such that (1) if \(r_h:E\to E\) denotes the map \(e\mapsto eh\) for \(h\in H\), then \(r_h^*\omega=\text{Ad}_h^{-1}\omega\) for all \(h\in H\); (2) \(\omega_e:T_eE\to\mathfrak{g}\) is a linear isomorphism for each \(e\in E\); (3) the vector fields \(\overrightarrow{A}\) on \(E\) defined by \(\overrightarrow{A}\lrcorner\;\omega=A\) for \(A\in\mathfrak{h}\) generate the \(H\)-action on \(E\). An example is the model Cartan geometry \(G\to G/H\) with Cartan connection \(\omega=g^{-1}dg\). Finally, if \(G/H\) is a complex homogeneous space, an \(H\)-submodule \(I\subset(\mathfrak{g}/\mathfrak{h})^*\) is semicanonical if there exist integers \(p\geq0\) and \(q>0\) such that \((\det I)^{\otimes q}=(\det(\mathfrak{g}/\mathfrak{h}))^{\otimes(-p)}\). The main theorem of the paper (Theorem 2) is as follows. Suppose that \(G\) is a complex Lie group and \(H\subset G\) is a maximal complex subgroup. Suppose that \(I\subset(\mathfrak{g}/\mathfrak{h})^*\) is a non-trivial semicanonical module. Suppose that \(M\) is a connected smooth complex projective variety bearing a holomorphic Cartan geometry \(E\to M\) modelled on \(G/H\). Let \({\mathcal I}=E\times_HI\subset T^*M\). If the holomorphic subbundle \({\mathcal I}^\bot\subset TM\) is not everywhere bracket closed, then (1) \(M=G/H\); (2) the Cartan geometry on \(M\) is the model holomorphic Cartan geometry on \(G/H\); (3) \(G/H\) is a generalised flag variety. The paper also contains more general theorems and a similar theorem for compact Käbler manifolds for another class of Cartan geometries. The second half of the paper is devoted to examples. A key concept in the proofs is that of dropping; this occurs when we have \(H\subset H'\subset G\) and the Cartan geometry \(E\to M\) is obtained by lifting a Cartan geometry \(E\to M'\) modelled on \(G/H'\).