The continuous rank function for varieties of maximal Albanese dimension and its applications

Abstract

In this note, I review an aspect of some new techniques introduced recently in collaboration with Miguel \'Angel Barja and Rita Pardini: the construction of the continuous rank function. I give a sketch of how to use this function to prove the Barja-Clifford-Pardini-Severi inequalities for varieties of maximal Albanese dimension and to obtain the classification of varieties satisfying the equalities.