On fundamental groups of algebraic varieties and value distribution theory (Q978567)

Following the conjectures of \textit{F. Campana} [Ann. Inst. Fourier 54, No. 3, 631--665 (2004; Zbl 1062.14015)], a complex projective manifold admitting a Zariski non-degenerate entire curve should be special and special complex manifolds should have virtually abelian fundamental group. In this article an important special case is proved. The main result is the following: If \(X\) is a complex projective manifold admitting a Zariski non-degenerate entire curve, then \(\rho(\pi_1(X))\) admits an abelian subgroup of finite index for every linear representation \(\rho\) of the fundamental group \(\pi_1(X)\). As a corollary one obtains: Let \(X\) be a projective manifold with a ``big'' representation \(\rho:\pi_1(X)\to GL(n,{\mathbb C})\) (``big'' means essentially that \(\rho(\pi_1(Z))\) is infinite for a generic subvariety \(Z\) of \(X\)). Assume that there exists a non-degenerate entire curve on \(X\). Then an unramified covering space of \(X\) is birational to an abelian variety. A key step in the proof is the following intermediate result: Assume \(X\) is a projective manifold admitting a non-degenerate entire curve. If \(K\) is a \(p\)-adic field and \(G\) is a simple algebraic \(K\)-group, then there does not exist a homomorphism from \(\pi_1(X)\) to \(G(K)\) with unbounded Zariski dense image. This is proved using spectral covers in the sense of Zuo, harmonic maps to Bruhat-Tits buildings, Shafarevich maps and Nevanlinna theory.