Simpson's correspondence on singular varieties in positive characteristic

Abstract

The main aim of the paper is to provide analogues of Simpson's correspondence on singular projective varieties defined over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p>0$. There are two main cases. In the first case, we consider analogues of numerically flat vector bundles on a big open subset of a normal projective variety (with arbitrary singularities). Here we introduce the S-fundamental group scheme for quasi-projective varieties that admit compactifications with complement of codimension $\ge 2$. We prove that this group scheme coincides with the S-funda\-men\-tal group scheme of the regular locus of any of its (small) projective compactification. In particular, it provides a new invariant for normal projective varieties isomorphic in codimension $1$. In the second case, we consider vector bundles with an integrable $\lambda$-connection on a normal projective variety $X$ that is (almost) liftable modulo $p^2$. In this case we restrict to varieties with $F$-liftable singularities that are analogous to log canonical singularities. We prove that a semistable Higgs vector bundle on the regular locus of $X$, with appropriately defined vanishing Chern classes, admits a canonical Higgs--de Rham flow. This provides an analogue of some results due to D. Greb, S. Kebekus, B. Taji and T. Peternell. Finally, we give some applications of the obtained results, also to varieties defined in characteristic zero.