Inspired by K. Fujita's algebro-geometric result that complex projective space has maximal degree among all K-semistable complex Fano varieties, we conjecture that the height of a K-semistable metrized arithmetic Fano variety $\mathcal {X}$ of relative dimension $n$ is maximal when $\mathcal {X}$ is the projective space over the integers, endowed with the Fubini–Study metric. Our main result establishes the conjecture for the canonical integral model of a toric Fano variety when $n\leq 6$ (the extension to higher dimensions is conditioned on a conjectural ‘gap hypothesis’ for the degree). Translated into toric Kähler geometry, this result yields a sharp lower bound on a toric invariant introduced by Donaldson, defined as the minimum of the toric Mabuchi functional. Furthermore, we reformulate our conjecture as an optimal lower bound on Odaka's modular height. In any dimension $n$ it is shown how to control the height of the canonical toric model $\mathcal {X},$ with respect to the Kähler–Einstein metric, by the degree of $\mathcal {X}$. In a sequel to this paper our height conjecture is established for any projective diagonal Fano hypersurface, by exploiting a more general logarithmic setup.

We prove that every birationally superrigid Fano variety whose alpha invariant is greater than (respectively no smaller than) $\frac{1}{2}$ is K-stable (respectively K-semistable). We also prove that the alpha invariant of a birationally superrigid Fano variety of dimension $n$ is at least $1/(n+1)$ (under mild assumptions) and that the moduli space (if it exists) of birationally superrigid Fano varieties is separated.

A polarized variety is K-stable if, for any test configuration, the Donaldson–Futaki invariant is positive. In this paper, inspired by classical geometric invariant theory, we describe the space of test configurations as a limit of a direct system of Tits buildings. We show that the Donaldson–Futaki invariant, conveniently normalized, is a continuous function on this space. We also introduce a pseudo-metric on the space of test configurations. Recall that K-stability can be enhanced by requiring that the Donaldson–Futaki invariant is positive on any admissible filtration of the co-ordinate ring. We show that admissible filtrations give rise to Cauchy sequences of test configurations with respect to the above mentioned pseudo-metric.

We show that the anti-canonical volume of an $n$-dimensional Kähler–Einstein $\mathbb{Q}$-Fano variety is bounded from above by certain invariants of the local singularities, namely $\operatorname{lct}^{n}\cdot \operatorname{mult}$ for ideals and the normalized volume function for real valuations. This refines a recent result by Fujita. As an application, we get sharp volume upper bounds for Kähler–Einstein Fano varieties with quotient singularities. Based on very recent results by Li and the author, we show that a Fano manifold is K-semistable if and only if a de Fernex–Ein–Mustaţă type inequality holds on its affine cone.

We show that any $n$-dimensional Fano manifold $X$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}(X)=n/(n+1)$ and $n\geqslant 2$ is K-stable, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}(X)$ is the alpha invariant of $X$ introduced by Tian. In particular, any such $X$ admits Kähler–Einstein metrics and the holomorphic automorphism group $\operatorname{Aut}(X)$ of $X$ is finite.

We show that the pair (X, –KX ) is K-unstable for a del Pezzo manifold X of degree 5 with dimension 4 or 5. This disproves a conjecture of Odaka and Okada.

The notion of Berman–Gibbs stability was originally introduced by Berman for $\mathbb{Q}$-Fano varieties $X$. We show that the pair $(X,-K_{X})$ is K-stable (respectively K-semistable) provided that $X$ is Berman–Gibbs stable (respectively semistable).

We study a notion of ‘b-stability’, introduced previously by the author in connection with the existence of constant scalar curvature Kähler, and Kähler-Einstein, metrics. The main result is Theorem 1.2, which makes progress towards a statement that the existence of such metrics implies b-stability. The proof is a modification of an argument of Stoppa, taking account of the birational transformations involved in the definition of b-stability.

In this paper we consider the dynamical system involved by the Ricci operator on the space of Kähler metrics of a Fano manifold. Nadel has defined an iteration scheme given by the Ricci operator and asked whether it has some non-trivial periodic points. First, we prove that no such periodic points can exist. We define the inverse of the Ricci operator and consider the dynamical behaviour of its iterates for a Fano Kähler–Einstein manifold. Then we define a finite-dimensional procedure to give an approximation of Kähler–Einstein metrics using this iterative procedure and apply it on ℂℙ2 blown up in three points.