Geometry of formal Kuranishi theory (Q2577488)

The author studies interactions between deformation theory of Kähler manifolds and submanifolds and cohomology of the ambient manifold. He explains his approach by the following idea: ``Since the variations of Hodge structure \(H^*(M)\) of a compact Kähler manifold over Artinian schemes always extend, therefore the subspaces of \(H^q(\Omega^p_M)\) associated to a particular geometric deformation problem must pair to zero with the obstruction group for the problem.'' In fact, two principal cases are analyzed in detail [cf. \textit{S. Bloch}, Invent. Math. 17, 51--66 (1972; Zbl 0254.14011)]. In the first one the obstructions to deforming \(M\) annihilate the cohomology of \(M,\) while in the second case the obstructions to deforming a compact submanifold of \(M\) annihilate the primitive cohomology of \(M.\) All the obtained results mainly derive from the very close relationship between a Kuranishi datum associated to a deformation of \(M\) and the Gauss-Manin connection associated to the deformation. It should be underlined that the paper is written in a clear didactic style, it contains many explicit calculations and interesting non-formal remarks and comments.