We show that a compact Kaehler manifold with nonpositive holomorphic sectional curvature has nef canonical bundle. If the holomorphic sectional curvature is negative then it follows that the canonical bundle is ample, confirming a conjecture of Yau. The key ingredient is the recent solution of this conjecture in the projective case by Wu-Yau.

We define a hierarchy of Hamiltonian PDEs associated to an arbitrary tau-function in the semi-simple orbit of the Givental group action on genus expansions of Frobenius manifolds. We prove that the equations, the Hamiltonians, and the bracket are weightedhomogeneous polynomials in the derivatives of the dependent variables with respect to the space variable. In the particular case of a conformal (homogeneous) Frobenius structure, our hierarchy coincides with the Dubrovin–Zhang hierarchy that is canonically associated to the underlying Frobenius structure. Therefore, our approach allows to prove the polynomiality of the equations, Hamiltonians, and one of the Poisson brackets of these hierarchies, as conjectured by Dubrovin and Zhang.

Let w be an Abelian differential on a compact Riemann surface of genus g ≥ 1. Then |w|2 defines a flat metric with conical singularities and trivial holonomy on the Riemann surface. We obtain an explicit holomorphic factorization formula for the ζ-regularized determinant of the Laplacian in the metric |w|2, generalizing the classical Ray-Singer result in g = 1.

F. Labourie [arXiv:1212.5015] characterized the Hitchin components for PSL(n,R) for any n>1 by using the swapping algebra, where the swapping algebra should be understood as a ring equipped with a Poisson bracket. We introduce the rank n swapping algebra, which is the quotient of the swapping algebra by the (n+1)×(n+1) determinant relations. The main results are the well-definedness of the rank n swapping algebra and the "cross-ratio" in its fraction algebra. As a consequence, we use the sub fraction algebra of the rank n swapping algebra generated by these "cross-ratios" to characterize the PSL(n,R) Hitchin component for a fixed n>1. We also show the relation between the rank 2 swapping algebra and the cluster X space.

We apply a study of orders in quaternion algebras, to the differential geometry of Riemann surfaces. The least length of a closed geodesic on a hyperbolic surface is called its systole,and denoted sysπ1. P. Buser and P. Sarnak constructed Riemann surfaces X whose systole behaves logarithmically in the genus g(X). The Fuchsian groups in their examples are principal congruence subgroups of a fixed arithmetic group with rational trace field. We generalize their construction to principal congruence subgroups of arbitrary arithmetic surfaces. The key tool is a new trace estimate valid for an arbitrary ideal in a quaternion algebra. We obtain a particularly sharp bound for a principal congruence tower of Hurwitz surfaces (PCH), namely the 4/3bound sysπ1(XPCH) ≥ 43 log(g(XPCH)). Similar results are obtained for the systole of hyperbolic 3-manifolds, relative to their simplicial volume.