Unitary local systems, multiplier ideals, and polynomial periodicity of Hodge numbers

The space of unitary local systems of rank one on the complement of an arbitrary divisor in a complex projective algebraic variety can be described in terms of parabolic line bundles. We show that multiplier ideals provide natural stratifications of this space. We prove a structure theorem for these stratifications in terms of complex tori and convex rational polytopes, generalizing to the quasi-projective case results of Green–Lazarsfeld and Simpson. As an application we show the polynomial periodicity of Hodge numbers hq,0 of congruence covers in any dimension, generalizing results of E. Hironaka and Sakuma. We extend the structure theorem and polynomial periodicity to the setting of cohomology of unitary local systems. In particular, we obtain a generalization of the polynomial periodicity of Betti numbers of unbranched congruence covers due to Sarnak–Adams. We derive a geometric characterization of finite abelian covers, which recovers the classic one and the one of Pardini. We use this, for example, to prove a conjecture of Libgober about Hodge numbers of abelian covers.