Representations of fundamental groups of algebraic varieties (Q1962871)

Let \(X\) denote a complex projective manifold. Its fundamental group \(\pi_1(X,*)\) and representations \(\rho:\pi_1 (X,*)\to G\) into algebraic groups are the most important topological invariants of \(X\). A fundamental question is how these invariants are related to the algebrogeometric invariants of \(X\). Also, one would like to find some geometrical criteria, which guarantee \(\rho\) to be rigid, or arithmetic. In this book the author gives a unified treatment of his work, as well as joint work with Jürgen Jost on those questions. Using harmonic map theory developed by Jost-Yau, Siu and others, Donaldson-Uhlenbeck-Yau correspondence and Higgs bundle developed by Simpson, the author proves the following structure theorem: Theorem 1. Any non-rigid Zariski dense representation \(\rho: \pi_1(X,*) \to SL_n(\mathbb{C})\) factors over a surjective morphism \(f:X\to Y\) with connected fibres and \(\dim Y\leq n-1\) after passing a finite étale covering of \(X\). From theorem 1 one obtains the following criterion for rigid representation. Corollary. Let \(\rho\) be as in theorem 1. If the rank of the equivariant harmonic map associated to \(\rho\) is strictly greater than \(2(n-1)\), then \(\rho\) is rigid. Hence, it comes from a complex variation of Hodge structure by Simpson's theorem. This rigidity criterion fits very well with the general principle suggested by Siu's rigidity theorem for equivariant harmonic maps from Kähler manifolds into bounded symmetric domains. That is, if the rank of an equivariant harmonic map is sufficiently large (some constant depending on the domain), then the representation tends to be rigid. Theorem 1 was generalized later by Jost and the author for quasi-projective manifolds also for an arbitrary semi-simple algebraic group. Using harmonic map into Bruhat-Tits building developed by Gromov-Schoen in the projective case and by Jost and author in the quasi-projective case, Jost and the author proved the following theorem in the \(p\)-adic case: Theorem 4. Let \(G\) be an almost simple algebraic group over a \(p\)-adic field \(K_p\) and \(X\) be a quasi-projective manifold, then any \(p\)-adic unbounded Zariski-dense representation \(\rho:\pi_1 (X,*)\to G\) factors over a fibration \(f:X\to Y\) with \(\dim Y\leq\text{rk}_{K_p}G\). After getting those factorization theorems, the author was able to describe the geometrical effect of \(\pi_1(X,*)\) on \(Y\) via \(\rho\). In fact, the map \(f:X\to Y\) obtained in the above theorems coincides with the Shafarevich map \(sh_\rho X\to SH_\rho(X)\) of the representation. Theorem 5. Suppose \(X\) is a compact Kähler manifold and \(\rho\) is a Zariski dense representation into an almost simple algebraic group, then there exists a finite étale covering \(e:X'\to X\) such that the Shafarevich variety \(Sh_{e^W\rho}(X')\) is of general type. This theorem generalizes Mok's theorem for discrete representations.