Viehweg's hyperbolicity conjecture is true over compact bases (Q664753)

Let \(X \rightarrow U\) be a family of complex projective manifolds with semiample canonical bundle, i.e. a smooth morphism between quasi-projective complex manifolds such that the fibres are projective manifolds with semiample canonical bundle. We say that the variation of the family is maximal if for generic \(u \in U\) there exist only finitely many \(u' \in U\) such that \(X_u\) is birational to \(X_{u'}\). In this case a conjecture of Viehweg claims that the manifold \(U\) is of log-general type, that is a compactification \(U \subset B\) such that \(\Delta:=B \setminus U\) is a normal crossings divisor satisfies \(\kappa(B, K_B+\Delta)=\dim B\). \newline In the paper under review the author proves this conjecture if \(\Delta = \emptyset\) (that is \(U\) is projective) or \(B\) is not uniruled. This significantly improves a paper of \textit{S. Kebekus} and \textit{S. J. Kovács} [Adv. Math. 218, No. 3, 649--652 (2008; Zbl 1137.14027)] which proved the same statement under the conjectural assumption that the minimal model program (including the abundance conjecture) holds. The proof is surprisingly short and relies on a recent result of \textit{F. Campana} and \textit{T. Peternell} [Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 139, No. 1, 41--74 (2011; Zbl 1218.14030)] on the positivity of quotients of \(\Omega_B^{\otimes m}\).