Asymptotics of local height pairing

Abstract

We discuss the asymptotics of the Archimedean part of the Arakelov intersection number. The theorem is motivated by recent conjectures and their proof strategy by Gao and Zhang on the Northcott property of the Beilinson--Bloch height pairing. Our method involves a homological algebra interpretation of the Archimedean height by Hain. This interpretation allows us to introduce motivic viewpoints using Deligne cohomology, cycle class maps and higher Chow groups. Especially, we compare the biextension by Hain and Brosnan--Pearlstein over $\mathbb{C}$ based on Poincaré line bundle and Hodge theory with the $\mathbb{G}_{\mathrm{m}}$-biextension of Bloch and Seibold defined by two families of homologically trivial cycles on a generically smooth family of projective varieties over a smooth curve. Our comparison, a relative version of the work of Gorchinskiy, enhances his derived viewpoint on these biextensions. Especially when the family of varieties are smooth, the two constructions are related via derived regulator maps to Deligne cohomology, reinterpreted similarly to Beilinson's absolute Hodge cohomology, as well as the derived description of Hardouin's biextension that generalizes Poincaré line bundle by Hain. The comparison when the family defined over a smooth curve has a strongly semistable reduction further involves a simple monodromy computation using mixed Hodge modules. Along our discussion, we simplify the discussion of Bloch and Seibold, partly in the style of Gorchinskiy. For example, the symmetry of their biextension is proved more easily than their work.