No label defined (Q4037232)

[For the entire collection see Zbl 0755.00010.] Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be closed oriented surfaces of genera \(g\) and \(p\) respectively. In J. Reine Angew. Math. 165, 225-236 (1931; Zbl 0002.05602), \textit{H. Hopf} showed that any homomorphism between the homotopy groups of \(X\) and \(Y\) is induced by a surface map, and he asked for a characterization of the homomorphisms \(H_ 1(X,\mathbb{Z})\to H_ 1(Y,\mathbb{Z})\) coming from surface maps. The paper shows that Poincaré's work on the reduction of abelian integrals may contain a clue to this problem. In the first section Poincaré's original proof of the complete reducibility theorem is outlined. The proof bases on the normal form lemma which describes the rational representation matrix of a homomorphism of abelian varieties \(A_ g\to B_ p\) of dimensions \(g>p\). This together with the fact that for a ramified covering \(X\to Y\) of degree \(d\) the canonical principal polarization of the Jacobian \(J(X)\) induces \(d\)-times the canonical principal polarization on \(J(Y)\), is used to derive some normal forms for the homomorphisms \(H_ 1(X,\mathbb{Z})\to H_ 1(Y,\mathbb{Z})\) coming from surface maps \(X\to Y\). -- Moreover some historical remarks are given.