For a compact Riemann surface X of positive genus, the space of sections of a certain theta bundle on moduli of bundles of rank r and level k admits a natural map to (the dual of) a similar space of sections of rank k and level r (the strange duality isomorphism). Both sides of the isomorphism carry projective connections as X varies in a family. We prove that this map is (projectively) flat.

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By studying modular invariance properties of some characteristic forms, we get some new anomaly cancellation formulas on (4 r 1) dimensional manifolds. As an application, we derive some results on divisibilities of the index of Toeplitz operators on (4 r 1) dimensional spin manifolds and some congruent formulas on characteristic number for (4 r 1) dimensional spin c manifolds.

Let Y be a non-singular projective manifold with an ample canonical sheaf, and let V be a Q-variation of Hodge structures of weight one on Y with Higgs bundle E1,0 ⊕ E0,1, coming from a family of Abelian varieties. If Y is a curve the Arakelov inequality says that the slopes satisfy μ(E1,0) − μ(E0,1) ≤ μ(­1 Y ). We prove a similar inequality in the higher dimensional case. If the latter is an equality, and if the discriminant of E1,0 or the one of E0,1 is zero, one hopes that Y is a Shimura variety, and V a uniformizing variation of Hodge structures. This is verified, in case the universal covering of Y does not contain factors of rank> 1. Part of the results extend to variations of Hodge structures over quasi-projective manifolds U.

We prove that if a complete, properly embedded, finite-topology minimal surface in S2×R contains a line, then its ends are asymptotic to helicoids, and that if the surface is an annulus, it must be a helicoid.