Rank 2 local systems and abelian varieties (Q2037133)

This paper is concerned with smooth projective varieties \(X\) over \(k\) such that there is a smooth projective curve \(C \subset X\) which is the complete intersection of smooth ample divisors. A previous work by \textit{C. T. Simpson} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 75, 5--95 (1992; Zbl 0814.32003)] on Higgs bundles and local systems describes the conditions under which an abelian scheme \(\pi_X :A_X \longrightarrow X\) extends \(\pi_C :A_C \longrightarrow C\), in the case when \(k\) is a finite field. The authors of the present paper proved an analogous result when \(\pi_C :A_C \longrightarrow C\) is an abelian scheme of \(\mathrm{GL}_2\)-type and \(k\) is the field of complex numbers. From the work by \textit{K. Corlette} and \textit{C. Simpson} [Compos. Math. 144, No. 5, 1271--1331 (2008; Zbl 1155.58006)], they conjectured that absolutely irreducible rank \(2\) local systems with infinite monodromy on \(X\) come from families of abelian varieties. This conjecture for projective varieties reduces to the conjecture for projective curves, in the case when some strong form of Deligne's (\(p\)-adic) companions conjecture from Weil II is true. The authors also answered a question posed by \textit{A. Grothendieck} [Invent. Math. 2, 59--78 (1966; Zbl 0147.20302)] concerning the description of extensions of abelian schemes by using their \(p\)-divisible groups.