Abstract A representation of a group G is said to be rigid, if it cannot be continuously deformed to a non-isomorphic representation. If G happens to be the fundamental group of a complex projective manifold, rigid representations are conjectured (by Simpson) to be of geometric origin. In this talk I will outline the basic properties of rigid local systems and discuss several consequences of Si...
Abstract: Non-abelian Hodge theory relates representations of the fundamental group of a compact Riemann surface X into a Lie group G with holomorphic objects on X known as Higgs bundles, introduced by Hitchin more than 35 years ago. Starting with the case in which G is the circle, and the 19th century Abel-Jacobi's theory, we will move to the case of G=SL(2,R) and the relation to Teichmüller t...