The space of Kähler metrics. (Q1609799)

In 1987, \textit{T. Mabuchi} introduced a ``Riemannian distance'' in the infinite dimensional space of Kähler metrics of a fixed Kähler class and defined the Levi-Civita connection in it [Osaka J. Math. 24, 227--252 (1987; Zbl 0645.53038)]. S. K. Donaldson conjectured that each fixed Kähler class with Mabuchi distance is, in fact, a geodesically convex metric space. The author partially solves Donaldson's conjecture by proving that any two Kähler metrics of a fixed Kähler class can be joined by a \(C^{1,1}\)-geodesic (Theorem 3); further it is proved that the length of such geodesic equals the Mabuchi distance between its ``end'' Kähler metrics -- the least upper bound of lengths of all possible curves joining the same pair of metrics (Corollary 3). In Proposition 2 the author proves that the length of each geodesic joining different metrics does not vanish. Hence, the Mabuchi distance is, in fact, a metric -- a positive definite symmetric distance satisfying the triangle inequality. By applying the foregoing results, the author proves uniqueness results for constant scalar curvature metrics.