A characterization of complex quasi-projective manifolds uniformized by unit balls (Q2089729)

The classical uniformization theorem asserts that the universal covering of a compact Riemann surface of negative Euler characteristic is biholomorphic to the unit disc. The uniformization results are essential pieces in geometry and topology, and have been obtained for various cases. For example, Simpson extended the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck-Yau theorem to the context of Higgs bundles, and as an application he proved a uniformization theorem which characterizes complex projective manifolds and quasi-projective curves whose universal coverings are complex unit balls [\textit{C. T. Simpson}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 1, No. 4, 867--918 (1988; Zbl 0669.58008)]. In this paper, the authors give a necessary and sufficient condition for quasi-projective manifolds to be uniformized by complex unit balls, which generalizes the uniformization theorem by Simpson. Let \(X\) be an \(n\)-dimensional complex projective manifold, \(D\) be a smooth divisor on \(X \), and \(L\) be an ample divisor. The main theorem of this paper proves that if the log Higgs bundle \( (\Omega^1_X(\log D)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X, \theta)\) with Higgs field \(\theta\) is \(\mu_L\)-polystable, then one has a Miyaoka-Yau type inequality \[ (2(n+1)c_2(\Omega^1_X(\log D))-nc_1^2(\Omega^1_X(\log D)))\cdot c_1(L)^{n-2}\geq 0. \] If the equality holds, then \(X-D\) is biholomorphic to the quotient of the complex unit ball \(\mathbb{B}^n\) by a group \(\Gamma\). Moreover, \(X\) is the unique toroidal compactification of \(\mathbb{B}^n/\Gamma\), and each connected component of \(D\) is the smooth quotient of an abelian variety \(A \) by a finite group acting freely on \(A\). Conversely, if \(X\) is the smooth toroidal compactification of the ball quotient \(\mathbb{B}^n/\Gamma \), and \(D=X-\mathbb{B}^n/\Gamma\), then \[ 2(n+1)c_2(\Omega^1_X(\log D)) -nc_1^2(\Omega^1_X(\log D))= 0, \] and the log Higgs bundle \( (\Omega^1_X(\log D)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X, \theta)\) is \(\mu_\alpha\)-polystable for a certain nef and big class \(\alpha\). Several applications are also obtained in this paper. The proof mainly follows the Simpson's strategy. Firstly, the authors associate the Higgs bundle \( (\Omega^1_X(\log D)\oplus \mathcal{O}_X, \theta)\) a principal system of log Hodge bundles \((P, \tau)\) with Hodge group \(PU(n,1)\). Secondly, it is shown that there is a metric reduction \(P_H\) for \(P|_{X-D} \) so that the triple \((P|_{X-D}, \tau|_{X-D}, P_H)\) gives rise to a principal variation of Hodge structures on \(X-D\), which induces a period map \(p\) from the universal cover \(\widetilde{X-D} \) to the period domain \(PU(n,1)/U(n)\). Finally, the authors show that \(p\) is a biholomorphism.