Bounded differential forms, generalized Milnor-Wood inequality and an application to deformation rigidity (Q2642375)

By exploring the comparison map and its pullback, the authors give sufficient conditions for a cohomology class of a discrete subgroup \(\Gamma\) of a connected semisimple Lie group with finite center to be representable by a bounded differential form on the quotient by \(\Gamma\) of the associated symmetric space. In particular, if \(\rho:\Gamma \to \text{PU}(1,q)\) is any representation of any discrete subgroup \(\gamma\) of \(\text{SU}(1,p)\), the closed bounded differential form on the quotient by \(\Gamma\) of the complex hyperbolic space which is representative for the pullback via \(\Gamma\) of the Kähler class of \(\text{PU}(1,q)\) can be given explicitly. Under the condition that \(G,G'\) are Lie groups of Hermitian type, they arrive at a generalized Milnor-Woood inequality. Finally, the application of their results to hyperbolic spaces and maximal representations into \(\text{PU}(1,q)\) of lattices in \(\text{SU}(1,1)\) are given.