On period maps that are open embeddings

Abstract

For certain complex projective manifolds (such as K3 surfaces and their higher dimensional analogues, the complex symplectic projective manifolds) the period map takes values in a locally symmetric variety of type IV. It is often an open embedding and in such cases it has been observed that the image is the complement of a locally symmetric (Heegner) divisor. We explain that phenomenon and get our hands on the complementary divisor in terms of geometric data.