Book 157

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in studying algebraic cycles using infinitesimal methods. These methods have usually been applied to Hodge-theoretic constructions such as the cycle class and the Abel-Jacobi map. Substantial advances have also occurred in the infinitesimal theory for subvarieties of a given smooth variety, centered around the normal bundle and the obstructions coming from the normal bundle's first cohomology group. Here, Mark Green and Phillip Griffiths set forth the initial stages of an infinitesimal theory for algebraic cycles. The book aims in part to understand the geometric basis and the limitations of Spencer Bloch's beautiful formula for the tangent space to Chow groups. Bloch's formula is motivated by algebraic K-theory and involves differentials over Q. The theory developed here is characterized by the appearance of arithmetic considerations even in the local infinitesimal theory of algebraic cycles. The map from the tangent space to the Hilbert scheme to the tangent space to algebraic cycles passes through a variant of an interesting construction in commutative algebra due to Angeniol and Lejeune-Jalabert.
The link between the theory given here and Bloch's formula arises from an interpretation of the Cousin flasque resolution of differentials over Q as the tangent sequence to the Gersten resolution in algebraic K-theory. The case of 0-cycles on a surface is used for illustrative purposes to avoid undue technical complications.

Book 183

Mumford-Tate groups are the fundamental symmetry groups of Hodge theory, a subject which rests at the center of contemporary complex algebraic geometry. This book is the first comprehensive exploration of Mumford-Tate groups and domains. Containing basic theory and a wealth of new views and results, it will become an essential resource for graduate students and researchers. Although Mumford-Tate groups can be defined for general structures, their theory and use to date has mainly been in the classical case of abelian varieties. While the book does examine this area, it focuses on the nonclassical case. The general theory turns out to be very rich, such as in the unexpected connections of finite dimensional and infinite dimensional representation theory of real, semisimple Lie groups. The authors give the complete classification of Hodge representations, a topic that should become a standard in the finite-dimensional representation theory of noncompact, real, semisimple Lie groups.
They also indicate that in the future, a connection seems ready to be made between Lie groups that admit discrete series representations and the study of automorphic cohomology on quotients of Mumford-Tate domains by arithmetic groups. Bringing together complex geometry, representation theory, and arithmetic, this book opens up a fresh perspective on an important subject.