Linking numbers and boundaries of varieties (Q1972071)

In this paper boundaries of positive holomorphic chains in \(\mathbb C^n\) are being characterized by non-negativity of their linking numbers with algebraic subvarieties of complementary dimension. More precisely, the following is proved. Let \(M\) be a compact oriented submanifold of \({\mathbb C}^n\) of odd real dimension \(k\), \(3\leq k\widehat A \leq 2n-3\). Then \(M\) satisfies the linking condition \(\text{lk}(M,A)\geq 0\), for all algebraic subvarieties \(A\) of \({\mathbb C}^n\) disjoint from \(M\) of complex dimension \(n-(k+1)/2\), where \(\text{lk}\) denotes the linking number, if and only if \(M\) is maximally complex and there exists a (unique) positive holomorphic \(k\)-chain \(T\) of dimension \((k+1)/2\) in \({\mathbb C}^n - M\) of finite mass and bounded support with \([M]=\partial[T]\). Moreover, for all \(x\in {\mathbb C}^n - M\), \(x\in\text{supp}(T)\) if and only if \(\text{lk}(M,A)>0\), for all algebraic subvarieties \(A\) of \({\mathbb C}^n\) disjoint from \(M\) of complex dimension \(n-(k+1)/2\) such that \(x\in A\). The proof uses the result of \textit{F. R. Harvey} and \textit{H. B. Lawson jun.} [Ann. Math. (2) 102, 223-290 (1975; Zbl 0317.32017)] that \(M\) bounds a holomorphic chain if and only if it is maximally complex and is organized as follows. First the corresponding theorem for curves in \(\mathbb C^n\) is proved and from this the theorem with \(k=n=3\) is deduced. The case \(k=3\) and \(n\) arbitrary is then deduced using projections and finally the general result is proved by slicing and an inductive procedure.