On the Geometry of Classifying Spaces and Horizontal Slices (Q4238640)

Let \(X\) be a simply connected compact Kähler \(n\)-manifold with zero first Chern class. Let \(\omega\) denote a Kähler form of \(X\) such that \([\omega]\in H^2(X,Z)\). The couple \((X,\omega)\) defines a polarized Calabi-Yau manifold. The purpose of this paper is the study of the local properties of the moduli space \(M\) of \((X,\omega)\). According to a theorem of Tian about the smoothness of the universal deformation space of \((X,\omega)\), the mentioned study is reduced to the study of the local properties of a neighborhood \(U\) of \(M\). Let \(D\) be the classifying space corresponding to \((X,\omega)\). The author considers the period map \(U\to D\), which is a holomorphic immersion. Grosso modo, a horizontal slice of \(D\) is the image of \(U\) under the period map. The obtained results concern, in fact, the more general case of the horizontal slices. In view that the universal covering space \(V\) of \(U\) is a smooth manifold, one consider \((X,\omega)\) with the automorphism group \(G\). It is proved, for instance, that the map from \(V\) to \(D\) induced by the periodic map \(U\to D\) is a pluriharmonic map. Another result concerns Kähler metrics on \(V\) called Hodge metrics on the horizontal slice of \(U\), namely the Ricci curvature and the holomorphic sectional curvature are negative away from zero. The nonexistence of some Kähler metrics on \(D\) for some threefold \((X,\omega)\) is proved, too.