Geometry of polysymbols (Q932924)

If \(f\) and \(g\) are meromorphic functions on the closed Riemann surface \(\overline X\), then the tame symbol \(\{f,g\}_x\) of \(f\) and \(g\) at a point \(x\in X\) has been given a geometric interpretation by \textit{P. Deligne} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 73, 147--181 (1991; Zbl 0749.14011)] as the holonomy at \(x\) of a line bundle with holomorphic connection \(\langle f,g\rangle\) over \(X=\overline X\setminus(S(f)\cup S(g))\). Here \(S(f)\) is the union of zeros and poles of \(f\). The connection \(\langle f,g\rangle\) is given by a cup product \(f\cup g\) in the Deligne cohomology group \(H^2_D(X,\mathbb Z(2))\), whose elements have a natural interpretation as isomorphism classes of line bundles with over \(X\) with holomorphic connection. A related construction due to \textit{D. Ramakrishnan} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 5, 191--195 (1981; Zbl 0519.14011)] and \textit{S. Bloch} [Algebraic K-theory, Proc. Conf., Evanston 1980, Lect. Notes Math. 854, 1--23 (1981; Zbl 0469.14009)] interprets the connection \(\langle f,g\rangle\) as the pullback along the map \((f, g): X\to\mathbb C^*\to\mathbb C^*\) of the principal bundle \(H(\mathbb Z)\setminus H(\mathbb C)\) with standard connection \(\nabla\), where \(H(R)\) is the Heisenberg group of \(3\times 3\) unipotent upper triangular matrices over the ring \(R\). The present paper provides a multiple generalisation \(\{f_1,\dots, f_n\}_x\) of the tame symbol and of the results referred to above. Using higher Massey products in Deligne cohomology, the polysymbol \(\langle f_1,\dots, f_n\rangle\) is now interpreted as a set of isomorphism classes of line bundles with holomorphic connection, and \(\{f_1,\dots, f_n\}_x\), the polysymbol at \(x\), is the function \(\langle f_1,\dots, f_n\rangle\to\mathbb C\) sending each isomorphism class to the holonomy along a loop enclosing \(x\) of the associated line bundle. The authors give an explicit formula for this holonomy in terms of the iterated path integrals of K. Chen. They also provide a geometric construction of the classes in \(\langle f_1,\dots, f_n\rangle\), analogous to the Ramakrishnan-Bloch construction above. Finally, they show that trivialisations of polysymbols give variations of mixed Hodge structure.