Characteristic cohomology of the infinitesimal period relation (Q2520711)

Let \(\check{D}=G_{\mathbb{C}}/P\) a generalised flag variety, and consider a differential system on it. This is given by the unique minimal \(G_{\mathbb{C}}\)-homogeneous bracket-generating subbundle of the holomorphic tangent bundle. Associated to the system there is a differential ideal \(\mathcal{I} \subset \mathcal{A}\) in the ring of differential forms. The deRham complex induces a quotient complex, and for any open \(U \subset \check{D}\) we can define the characteristic cohomology as \(H^{\bullet}_{\mathcal{I}}=H^{\bullet}(\mathcal{A}_U /\mathcal{I}_U)\). The main result of the paper is the determination of the existence of a positive integer \(\nu\) such that \(H^k_{\mathcal{I}}(U)=H^k(U)\) for all open \(U \subset \check{D}\) and all integers \(k < \nu\). Other results include a local Poincaré Lemma for differentials of characteristic cohomology and a number of concrete examples in which the number \(\nu\) is actually computed.