The arithmetic Hodge index theorem and rigidity of dynamical systems over function fields (Q2226645)

The paper under review proves a function-field analogue of a recent result of \textit{X. Yuan} and \textit{S.-W. Zhang} [Math. Ann. 367, No. 3--4, 1123--1171 (2017; Zbl 1372.14017)], which is then applied to study dynamical questions. Let us be more precise. The classical Hodge index theorem states that the intersection pairing on the rationalised Néron-Severi group of an algebraic surface is negative definite on the orthogonal complement of an ample divisor. Clearly, the same holds true on the rationalised group of divisors modulo numerical equivalence. In Arakelov geometry, one regards relative curves \(\mathcal{X} \to \mathrm{Spec}(R)\), where \(R\) is a Dedekind domain, as analogues of surfaces, suitably ``compactified'' by considering Archimedean valuations on \(R\). The analogue of the Hodge index theorem in Arakelov geometry has been proven indipendently by \textit{G. Faltings} (see Section 5 of [Ann. Math. (2) 119, 387--424 (1984; Zbl 0559.14005)]), and by \textit{P. Hriljac} [Am. J. Math. 107, 23--38 (1985; Zbl 0593.14004)]. Both the classical and the Arakelov version of the Hodge index theorem admit generalisations to higher dimensions, which are respectively exposed in Theorem 6.33 of \textit{C. Voisin}, [Hodge theory and complex algebraic geometry. I. Translated from the French by Leila Schneps. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2007; Zbl 1129.14019)] and in \textit{A. Moriwaki}, [Math. Res. Lett. 3, No. 2, 173--183 (1996; Zbl 0873.14005)]. Now, as was shown in the seminal work of \textit{S. Zhang} [J. Algebr. Geom. 4, No. 2, 281--300 (1995; Zbl 0861.14019)], arithmetic varieties \(\mathcal{X} \to \mathrm{Spec}(R)\) give rise to adelically metrised line bundles on their generic fibre. However, this association is not surjective. Nevertheless, a Hodge index theorem holds also for adelically metrized line bundles defined on varieties over the algebraic numbers, as shown in the aforementioned recent work of Yuan and Zhang [Zbl 1372.14017]. Theorem 3.1 of the paper under review proves an analogue of this latter statement for varieties \(X\) defined over a function field \(K = \kappa(B)\), where \(B\) is a smooth projective curve defined over an algebraically closed field \(\kappa\). More precisely, if \(X\) is a curve and \(\overline{M} \in \widehat{\mathrm{Pic}}(X)_\mathbb{Q}\) is an adelic rational line bundle, which is integrable (see Definition 2.4) and whose underlying line bundle \(M\) has vanishing degree, we have that \(\overline{M}^2 = - 2 h_\text{NT}(M)\), where \(h_\text{NT}\) denotes the Néron-Tate height on the Jacobian of \(X\). Moreover, if \(\dim(X) = n \geq 2\) and \(\overline{M} \in \widehat{\mathrm{Pic}}(X)_\mathbb{Q}\) is an adelic rational line bundle, which is integrable and whose underlying line bundle \(M\) intersects trivially the intersection \(L_1 \cdots L_{n - 1}\) of \(n - 1\) big line bundles underlying some numerically effective rational line bundles \(\overline{L}_1, \dots, \overline{L}_{n - 1} \in \widehat{\mathrm{Pic}}(X)_\mathbb{Q}\), one has that \(\overline{M}^2 \cdot \overline{L}_1 \cdots \overline{L}_{n - 1} \leq 0\), and one can characterise the equality in some cases. As the author of the paper under review states already in the introduction, this needs a careful study of Chow's \(K/\kappa\)-trace. Now, Theorem 4.6 of the paper under review applies Theorem 3.1 to prove a rigidity theorem for algebraic dynamical systems. To be more precise, fix a projective variety \(X\) defined over \(K\), endowed with an endomorphism \(f \colon X \to X\) and a line bundle \(L\) such that \(f^\ast(L) \simeq L^{\otimes q}\) for some integer \(q \in \mathbb{Z}\). Then there exists an adelically metrised line bundle \(\overline{L}_f\), whose underlying line bundle is \(L\), such that the height \(\widehat{h}_{\overline{L}_f} \colon X(\overline{K}) \to \mathbb{R}\) associated to \(\overline{L}_f\) coincides with the canonical height \(\widehat{h}_f\) defined by \textit{G. S. Call} and \textit{J. H. Silverman}, [Compos. Math. 89, No. 2, 163--205 (1993; Zbl 0826.14015)]. Moreover, let \(Z_f\) be the set of points \(x \in X(\overline{K})\) such that \(\widehat{h}_f(x) = 0\). Then, if we have two endomorphisms \(f, g \colon X \to X\), the equality \(Z_f \cap Z(\overline{K}) = Z_g \cap Z(\overline{K})\), where \(Z \subseteq X\) denotes the Zariski closure of the union \(Z_f \cup Z_g\). To conclude, we mention that Section 2 of the paper under review collects some useful preliminaries on metrised line bundles, heights and abelian varieties, whereas Section 5 contains some perspectives on the relations between Theorem 4.6 and the study of pre-periodic points of algebraic dynamical systems.