Hyperbolic Kähler manifolds and proper holomorphic mappings to Riemann surfaces (Q5943671)

The main result of the paper is the following Theorem. Let \(M\) be a connected noncompact complete Kähler manifold which does not have exactly two ends and which admits a positive Green's function that vanishes at infinity. Then \(M\) admits a proper holomorphic mapping to a Riemann surface if and only if \(H^1_c(M,{\mathcal O})\neq 0\). The equality \(H^1_c(M,{\mathcal O})=0\) (the Bochner-Hartogs property) means that the equation \(\partial\beta=\alpha\), for each \(C^\infty\) compactly supported \((0,1)\)-form \(\alpha\) with \(\bar\partial\alpha=0\), has a solution \(\beta\) in the class of \(C^\infty\) compactly supported functions. As a consequence, rather topological than analytic results are received. Let \(\widetilde M\) be a connected infinite Galois covering manifold for a compact Kähler manifold \(M\). 1) Suppose that \(\widetilde M\) does not have exactly two ends. Then \(\widetilde M\) admits a proper holomorphic mapping to a Riemann surface if and only if \(H^1_c(\widetilde M,{\mathcal O})\neq 0\). 2) If \(\widetilde M\) has two ends and the group \(\pi_1(\widetilde M)\) is not finitely generated, or if it has one end and \(H^1_c(\widetilde M,{\mathcal O})\neq 0\), or if it has infinite number of ends then some finite covering of \(M\) admits a surjective holomorphic mapping onto a Riemann surface. The latter assertion follows also from a result of \textit{M. Gromov} [C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Sér. I 308, No. 3, 67-70 (1989; Zbl 0661.53049)]. The paper is a continuation of \textit{T. Napier} and \textit{M. Ramachandran} [Ann. Inst. Fourier 47, 1345-1365 (1997; Zbl 0904.32008)] and \textit{M. Ramachandran} [Commun. Anal. Geom. 4, No. 3, 333-337 (1996; Zbl 0955.32018)].