Strict and nonstrict positivity of direct image bundles (Q658329)

Let \(p:X\to Y\) be a smooth proper holomorphic fibration of complex manifolds of relative dimension \(n\) and let \(L\) be a holomorphic line bundle on \(X\) equipped with a smooth metric whose curvature is semipositive in the sense of Nakano. Denote by \(K_{X/Y}\) the relative canonical bundle. The direct image sheaf \(p_*(L\otimes K_{X/Y})\) is associated to a vector bundle \(E\) on \(Y\). In a previous paper [Ann. Math. (2) 169, No. 2, 531--560 (2009; Zbl 1195.32012)], the author showed that, if \(X\) is Kähler, the natural \(L^2\)-metric \(h\) on \(E\) has semipositive curvature in the sense of Nakano. The present paper includes more explicit formulae for the curvature in two special cases, which enable the author to obtain conditions for the strict positivity of the curvature. The first special case is when \(L\) is trivial (Theorem 1.1). One expects then that the positivity will depend on how far the fibration is from being trivial. This is measured by the Kodaira-Spencer class. If this vanishes at a point, then certainly \((E,h)\) is not strictly positive at that point. The converse, however, is not true and the author gives examples to illustrate this. The second case is when \(L\) is relatively ample in the sense that it admits a metric with strictly positive curvature along the fibres of \(p\); note that the curvature is not required to be strictly positive on the total space \(X\) (Theorem 1.2). In this case, if the curvature is not strictly positive, then the Kodaira-Spencer class vanishes and the fibration is infinitesimally trivial.