Para-complex geometry and cyclic Higgs bundles

We introduce para-complex and pseudo-Riemannian geometric methods for the study of representations of surface groups in $\mathrm{SL}(2m+1,\mathbb{R})$. For $m=1$ our techniques allow to recover several known results for Hitchin representations without any reference to convex projective geometry or hyperbolic affine spheres. In particular, we describe analytically the Guichard-Wienhard domain of discontinuity in the flag variety and the corresponding concave foliated flag structure of Nolte-Riestenberg. In higher rank, we obtain a one-to-one correspondence between stable cyclic $\mathrm{SL}(2m+1,\mathbb{R})$-Higgs bundles (not necessarily in the Hitchin component) and a special class of surfaces, which we call isotropic $\mathbf{P}$-alternating, in the para-complex hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^{2m}_{\tau}$. As a result, we give a geometric interpretation to the holomorphic differential $q_{2m+1}$ in the Hitchin base in terms of harmonic sequences for immersions in para-complex manifolds.