Spin(7) Instantons and the Hodge Conjecture for Certain Abelian Four-folds: a Modest Proposal

The Hodge Conjecture is equivalent to a statement about conditions under which a complex vector bundle on a smooth complex projective variety admits a holomorphic structure. In the case of abelian four-folds, recent work in gauge theory suggests an approach using Spin(7) instantons. I advertise a class of examples due to Mumford where this approach could be tested. I construct explicit smooth vector bundles - which can in fact be constructed in terms of of smooth line bundles - whose Chern characters are given Hodge classes. An instanton connection on these vector bundles would endow them with a holomorphic structure and thus prove that these classes are algebraic. I use complex multiplication to exhibit Cayley cycles representing the given Hodge classes. I find alternate complex structures with respect to which the given bundles are holomorphic, and close with a suggestion (due to G. Tian) as to how this may possibly be put to use.