Lagrangian subvarieties of abelian fourfolds

Let (W, ω) be a smooth projective algebraic variety of dimension 2n over C together with a holomorphic (2, 0)-form of maximal rank 2n. A subvariety X ⊂ W is called weakly lagrangian if dim X ≤ n and if the restriction of ω to X is trivial (notice that X can be singular). An n-dimensional subvariety X ⊂ W with this property is called lagrangian. For example, any curve C contained in a K3 or abelian surface S is lagrangian. Further examples of lagrangian subvarieties are obtained by taking a curve C ⊂ S and by considering the corresponding symmetric products. Alternatively, one could look at a product of different curves (of genus > 1) inside a product of abelian varieties. We will say that a variety X ⊂ W is fibered if it admits a dominant map onto a curve of genus > 1. In this note we construct examples of nonfibered lagrangian surfaces in abelian varieties. Our motivation comes from the following Problem 1.1 Find examples of projective surfaces with a nontrivial fundamental group. In particular, find examples where the fundamental group has a nontrivial nilpotent tower. If X is fibered over a curve C of genus > 1 then the fundamental group π 1 (X) surjects onto a subgroup of finite index in π 1 (C) and consequently both π 1 (X) and its nilpotent tower are big. Therefore, we are interested in examples of surfaces where the nontriviality of π 1 (X) is not induced from curves. Consider the map to the Albanese variety alb : X → Alb(X). One is interested in situations where the natural map H 2 (Alb(X), C) → H 2 (X, C) has a nontrivial kernel – the triviality of the kernel implies the triviality of the nilpotent tower (tensor Q). Such examples were given by Campana ([3], Cor. 1.2) and Sommese-Van de Ven ([7]). However, there the kernel was found in the map Pic(Alb(X)) → Pic(X). 2 In their construction the fundamental group of the variety is a central extension of an abelian group (and the lower central series has only two steps). The lagrangian property of alb(X) ⊂ Alb(X) implies that there is a non-trivial kernel in H 2,0 (rather than on the level of the Picard groups). We produce an infinite series of surfaces X of different topological types which are contained in abelian varieties and are …