Analytic continuation of holomorphic maps respecting varieties of minimal rational tangents and applications to rational homogeneous manifolds (Q542363)

Let \(X\) be a uniruled projective manifold, and let \(\mathcal K\) be a family of minimal rational curves, i.e. a covering family of rational curves that has minimal degree with respect to a fixed polarisation. For a general point \(x \in X\) the space \(\mathcal K_x\) parametrising elements of \(\mathcal K\) passing through \(x\) is projective and we can define a rational map \(\mathcal K_x \dashrightarrow \mathbb P T_x X\) by sending a point to the tangent line of the corresponding curve at the point \(x\). The strict transform \(\mathcal C_x \subset \mathbb P T_x X\) of \(\mathcal K_x\) is called the variety of minimal rational tangents VMRT at \(x\). \textit{J.-M. Hwang} and \textit{N. Mok} have shown in a series of papers (e.g. [J. Math. Pures Appl., IX. Sér. 80, No. 6, 563--575 (2001; Zbl 1033.32013)], [Asian J. Math. 8, No. 1, 51--64 (2004; Zbl 1072.14015)]) that the VMRTs contain a lot of interesting information about the geometry of \(X\). In particular they established an (equidimensional) Cartan-Fubini extension theorem saying that (under some mild hypothesis) an isomorphism between open analytic subsets of Fano manifolds with Picard number one that preserves the VMRTs extends to a global biholomorphism. In the paper under review the authors generalise this fundamental result to the case where the starting point is not an isomorphism but merely an immersion. More precisely they prove the following statement: Let \(Z\) be a Fano manifold with Picard number one and \(\mathcal H\) a family of minimal rational curves such that \(\mathcal C_z=:\mathcal C_z Z\) is positive-dimensional at a general point \(z \in Z\). Let \(X\) be a uniruled projective manifold and \(\mathcal K\) a family of minimal rational curves on \(X\). Let furthermore \(f: U \rightarrow X\) be an immersion defined on a connected open subset \(U \subset Z\). If \(f\) respects the VMRTs (i.e. the image of the VMRT is the intersection of the VMRT with \(df(\mathbb P(T_z Z))\)) and is non-degenerate with respect to \((\mathcal K, \mathcal H)\), then \(f\) extends to a rational map \(Z \dashrightarrow X\). The non-degeneracy condition means that \(f(U)\) meets the locus of general points for \(\mathcal K\) and that for general points the restriction of the second fundamental form to the tangent space of \(df(\tilde C_z Z)\) has trivial kernel. In the equidimensional case this hypothesis corresponds to the generic finiteness of the Gauss map for \(C_z Z\), cf. [J. Math. Pures Appl., IX. Sér. 80, No. 6, 563--575 (2001; Zbl 1033.32013)]. We refer to the interesting introduction of the paper for a discussion of the differential-geometric background and the strategy of proof. \newline The authors give a geometric application of their main result. Suppose that \(X=G/P\) is a rational homogeneous manifold associated to a long simple root, and let \(Z=G_0/P_0\) be a non-linear, rational homogeneous manifold associated to a subdiagram of the marked Dynkin diagram of \(G/P\). If \(f: U \rightarrow X\) is a holomorphic embedding from a connected open subset \(U \subset Z\) which respects the VMRTs in a general point, then \(f\) extends to a standard embedding of \(Z\) into \(X\).