Grauert's direct image theorem via superconnections and desingularizations

Abstract: We give a new differential-geometric proof of Grauert's theorem on the coherence of the higher direct image of a coherent sheaf under a proper holomorphic morphism between complex analytic spaces. In the smooth case, our approach is based on the antiholomorphic superconnection introduced by Block and further developed by Bismut-Shen-Wei. The required finiteness results follow from elliptic theory. In the singular case, we reduce the problem to the smooth setting using Hironaka's desingularization.