Absolute sets of rigid local systems (Q6040267)

Let \(X\) be a smooth complex algebraic variety. The Riemann-Hilbert correspondence establishes an equivalence between complex local systems on the complex manifold underlying \(X\) and regular algebraic flat connections. For a set \(S\) of isomorphism classes of complex local systems on \(X\) and \(\sigma \in \mathrm{Gal}(\mathbb{C}/\mathbb{Q})\), one constructs a set of isomorphism classes of local systems on the complex manifold underlying the conjugate variety \(X^{\sigma}\) by applying \(\sigma\) to the algebraic flat connections corresponding to the elements of \(S\). The absolute sets of local systems on a smooth complex algebraic variety are the subject of a conjecture of Budur-Wang based on an analogy with special subvarieties of Shimura varieties. An absolute set should be the higher-dimensional generalization of a local system of geometric origin. The authors show that the conjecture for absolute sets of simple cohomologically rigid local systems reduces to the zero-dimensional case, that is, to Simpson's conjecture that every such local system with quasi-unipotent monodromy at infinity and determinant is of geometric origin. In particular, the conjecture holds for this type of absolute sets if the variety is a curve or if the rank is two.