Hyperbolic homogeneous polynomials with real coefficients, i.e., hyperbolic real projective hypersurfaces, and their determinantal representations, play a key role in the emerging field of convex algebraic geometry. In this paper we consider a natural notion of hyperbolicity for a real subvariety $X \subset \mathbb{ P}^d$ of an arbitrary codimension $\ell$ with respect to a real $\ell - 1$-dimensional linear subspace $V \subset \mathbb{ P}^d$ and study its basic properties. We also consider a special kind of determinantal representations that we call Livsic-type and a nice subclass of these that we call \vr{ }. Much like in the case of hypersurfaces ($\ell=1$), the existence of a definite Hermitian \vr{ } Livsic-type determinantal representation implies hyperbolicity. We show that every curve admits a \vr{ } Livsic-type determinantal representation. Our basic tools are Cauchy kernels for line bundles and the notion of the Bezoutian for two meromorphic functions on a compact Riemann surface that we introduce. We then proceed to show that every real curve in $\mathbb{ P}^d$ hyperbolic with respect to some real $d-2$-dimensional linear subspace admits a definite Hermitian, or even real symmetric, \vr{ } Livsic-type determinantal representation.
Categories: math.AG