For families of smooth complex projective varieties we show that normal functions arising from algebraically trivial cycle classes are algebraic, and defined over the field of definition of the family. As a consequence, we prove a conjecture of Charles and Kerr-Pearlstein, that zero loci of normal functions arising from algebraically trivial cycle classes are algebraic, and defined over the field of definition of the family. In particular, this gives a short proof of a special, algebraically motivated case of a result of Saito, Brosnan-Pearlstein, and Schnell, conjectured by Green-Griffiths, on zero loci of admissible normal functions. 查看全文>>