On the geometric Andr\'e-Oort conjecture for variations of Hodge structures

Abstract

Let $\mathbb{V}$ be a polarized variation of integral Hodge structure on a smooth complex quasi-projective variety $S$. In this paper, we show that the union of the non-factor special subvarieties for $(S, \mathbb{V})$, which are of Shimura type with dominant period maps, is a finite union of special subvarieties of $S$. This generalizes previous results of Clozel and Ullmo arXiv:math/0404131, Ullmo \cite{Ullmo07} on the distribution of the non-factor (in particular, strongly) special subvarieties in a Shimura variety to the non-classical setting and also answers positively the geometric part of a conjecture of Klingler on the Andr\'e-Oort conjecture for variations of Hodge structures.