Absolute sets and the decomposition theorem

Abstract

We give a framework to produce constructible functions from natural functors between categories, without need of a morphism of moduli spaces to model the functor. We show using the Riemann-Hilbert correspondence that any natural (derived) functor on constructible sheaves on smooth complex algebraic varieties can be used to construct a kind of constructible sets, called absolute sets, generalizing a notion introduced by Simpson in presence of moduli. We conjecture that the absolute sets of local systems satisfy a special varieties package, among which is an analog of the Manin-Mumford, Mordell-Lang, and Andre-Oort conjectures. The conjecture gives a simple proof of the Decomposition Theorem for all semi-simple perverse sheaves, assuming the Decomposition Theorem for the geometric ones. We prove the conjecture in the rank one case by showing that the closed absolute sets in this case are finite unions of torsion-translated affine tori. This extends a structure result of the authors for cohomology jump loci to any other natural jump loci. For example, to jump loci of intersection cohomology and Leray filtrations. We also show that the Leray spectral sequence for the open embedding in a good compactification degenerates for all rank one local systems at the usual page, not just for unitary local systems.